


Someone to fight for

by rokeat



Series: Fight [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Blam, Drama, M/M, one sided blaine/sebastian, tw: child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 109,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6185275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rokeat/pseuds/rokeat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. When Sam and his friends return to McKinley after the holidays, a new boy arrives. A shy, misterious curly-haired guy with hidden issues and an easy smile that drives Sam crazy. Soon Sebastian will show his interest for him, but can Sam step aside and let his best friend go for who could possibly the love of the blond's life? Or will his feelings for Blaine be stronger than him? SLASH Blam, one-sided Blaine/Sebastian</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining brightly in the sky when Sam made his way up the front steps of McKinley high school for the first time that year. It was a really nice and warm day, clearly still a Summer day, and the last thing he felt like doing was shutting himself up in a building, much less in school. But well, what could he do? At least he got to see his friends again, as he had not been able to see them much while on summer, due to his job at the ice-cream parlor.

Sam smiled when he reached the top of the stairs and saw his three best friends hanging around their usual spot. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought they hadn’t moved from there since July. They looked pretty much the same, a little more tanned if anything. Was it possible that Sebastian had grown even a little more over the summer? He looked really tall!

All of them turned at once towards their friend to acknowledge his arrival, and a few hugs and smiles were exchanged before they started chatting to get up to date with each other.

“I can’t believe it’s September again already!” Puck complained, apparently not for the first time since he had arrived by the way both Sebastian and Mike rolled their eyes. “I need more holidays!”

“Will you stop whining?” Sam asked of him, only half joking. “You have done absolutely nothing all summer! What about me, eh? I’ve been working at the ice-cream parlor since we finished on July. It’s me who needs a holiday!”

“Stop it, please, Sam, I’m getting exhausted just by listening to you!” Puck groaned, eliciting a chuckle from the other three. “Maybe we could play hooky”

“On our first day?” Sebastian asked, bewildered. “Don’t count on me. I have to be serious this year if I want to make it into a good college”

“Are you still thinking about that?” Puck asked. “I thought we all wanted to go into the music business”

“That’s just a hobby. And even if it wasn’t, what if it doesn’t work out?”

“That’s the confidence you have in the band?” Mike asked, mockingly offended.

“You know what I think about the band, boys. I love it, but it’s like it isn’t complete, like something was missing...”

“Well, I suggest we head for our classroom while we look for that something” Sam joked, not really in the mood to talk about the future and College, as he didn’t think he would be able to make it. “It’s almost time for the first class to begin”

“You are practically late, as usual, may I add, and now you’re rushing us? You haven’t changed one bit, I tell you!” Puck playfully groaned, earning himself a rap on the head from Sam and a chuckle from the other two.

**********

When they arrived to their new classroom, and after greeting some of their old classmates who were already there, they found some free seats for them and sat down as they waited for the teacher.

“Look! There’s a new guy!” Mike alerted the others, and the other three turned their gazes around to look at the door and to the boy who, as Mike had said, was coming through it for the first time.

Sam’s eyes got wide-eyed with amazement as he observed the curly-haired boy a few feet away from him. He didn’t thought he had ever seen a boy as handsome as that one. In fact, he was so perfect that Sam thought the adjective _beautiful_ suited him much better. He was kind of short –surely shorter than any of them– but he looked strong, and there was a warmth on his huge golden eyes –and yes, they really looked as if they were made of liquid gold– that immediately made Sam feel as if he knew him already. As if he had known him all his life. He had never believed in love at first sight, but the attraction he was feeling towards that mysterious boy, who was waiting near the door, probably for the teacher to come and introduce him to his classmates, could not be ignored.

“Wow!” Sam was pulled back from his own thoughts by Sebastian’s exclamation. “Did you see that guy? He sure is gorgeous!”

Sam wanted to agree, but he found his tongue had lost its ability to talk.

“Is he?” Puck asked in a joking tone. “I mean, yeah, sure, he looks pretty. But he’s not my type”

“No, we all know your type is a bit more feminine...” Sebastian answered with a sardonic smile, as they all know how much of a womanizer Puck was. “Fine by me, though, I don’t want any competition when I try to get off with him. And that goes for you two as well” Sebastian warned both Mike and Sam in a joking tone. “I saw him first”

“Don’t worry” Mike answered, looking dreamily at their classmate Tina, sitting only a couple of rows away from them. “You know I’ve got my eyes set on someone else”

Everybody failed to notice how Sam hadn’t said a word about the new boy and how he couldn’t take his eyes off of him, although now a slight expression of rage had settled on his features. How could have been so slow? He had felt terribly attracted to the boy from second one, why hadn’t he said anything before Sebastian did? Sebastian was his best friend, he couldn’t go and try something with this guy if Sebastian had shown an interest about him before he did, right? Well, Sebastian himself had made that perfectly clear, Sam knew him enough to know he was not entirely joking when he had warned them to stay away from the new boy. Damn it.

“Do you guys mind if I invite him to sit with us?” Sebastian asked, already standing up to go and meet the guy.

“I guess not, but if he just happens to be an asshole we’re holding you responsible” Puck answered, not that interested in the new boy as Sebastian –and Sam– was.

“He would still be a gorgeous asshole, so I’m taking the risk” Sebastian replied, and the others laughed –except for Sam, who was still cursing his bad luck that the first time he had been that interested in a person, his best friend happened to be interested too. And quicker.

Sebastian had never been a shy person, so he resolutely directed himself to the door to introduce himself to the boy who had aroused so many emotions amongst two best friends without even trying.

“Hi” Sebastian greeted him, confidently.

“Hi” the boy answered, in a much shier way.

“My name is Sebastian” Sebastian went on, trying to sound friendly as he offered his hand for the other boy to shake.

“I’m Blaine” the boy answered with a shy smile that made him look even more beautiful to Sam’s eyes, as he was intently watching their interaction.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Sebastian asked, even as he obviously knew the answer to his own question.

“It seems like I am” Blaine answered with a chuckle.

“I know being the new guy sucks. Why don’t you come and sit with me and my friends?” Sebastian offered, trying to sound kind enough so as not to scare Blaine away.

“Sure” Blaine answered with the slightest hesitation, a bit overwhelmed with Sebastian’s directness, and he followed him towards a group of guys who were looking at them, and who seemed nice enough.

“Guys, this is Blaine” Sebastian introduced him, as if they were old friends.

“Hello, everyone” Blaine greeted them, kind of timidly.

“Blaine, this is Mike” Sebastian pointed at the most dapper of them, who seemed to be very friendly with the warm smile he was offering him.

“Nice to meet you, Blaine” Mike offered, and Blaine smiled back at him.

“This one who looks quite happy with himself is Puck” Sebastian continued, eliciting a chuckle from the others.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just jealous of me because I’m so much funnier than he is” Puck explained playfully, and Blaine decided he also seemed nice enough.

“And that one there is my good friend Sam” Sebastian introduced the last one of his friends, and Blaine’s eyes turned to the boy furthest away from him.

Blaine was left speechless for a second as he stared at the boy Sebastian had introduced as Sam. He could tell he was very attractive –he had the most gorgeous and fullest lips ever and soft blond hair that almost made him look like an angel–, but what impressed him the most was the feeling Blaine got when their gazes met. It was as if he already knew that boy, as if there was a familiarity in him that made Blaine feel at ease, which didn’t happen to him often. He surely wanted to know more about that one.

“Why don’t you sit here with us? Boys, make room for him!” Sebastian ordered, trying to get them to move so Blaine could sit at his side.

“Oh no, please, don’t bother!” Blaine was quick to stop them. “I’ll just sit there with... Sam, was it?” Blaine tried to feign a little indifference so as not to show how much he was dying to get to know that guy better.

“Oh... ok” Sebastian said, obviously disappointed, as he had to watch Blaine move away from him and go to sit next to Sam. Well, it didn’t matter, he’d have plenty of other opportunities if they were going to share their last year of school together.

“Hi, Sam” Blaine said warmly as he sat by his side, with a big smile that brightened his whole face, and Sam found he could only reciprocate it.

“Hello, Blaine” Sam answered, offering his hand for the other boy to shake it.

“Nice to meet you” Blaine offered, as kindly as before, and Sam could almost feel his own shyness vanishing at that boy’s warmth.

“Nice to meet you too” Sam agreed, trying to begin a conversation before he started blushing. “Does being the new guy suck as much I think?” Sam asked, mentally kicking himself for saying such a stupid thing, though Blaine didn’t seem to think it was so stupid.

“Well, let’s say it’s not funny” Blaine answered with a big smile. “Though you lot are making it so much easier. Sebastian was very kind to introduce himself to me that way”

Sam sighed, feeling almost jealous about Blaine throwing compliments to someone who was not him, but then he remembered Sebastian was his best friend, and he was supposed to help him with Blaine.

“Yes, Sebastian is great, you’ll see”

“Well, you all seem nice enough” Blaine said, and Sam could have sworn than when Blaine had said _you_ _all_ he really had meant _you_ , and with _nice_ _enough_ he had meant _really_ _nice_. Or at least that was what Sam would have liked to hear, that was for sure. He really needed to change the subject before things got out of hand.

“You’ve been here long? I mean in Lima?” Sam asked.

“Err...” Blaine seemed to hesitate, uncomfortable with the question, and Sam could have kicked his own shin at getting off to a bad start. “Not too long, about a month, maybe a little more. So how’s this place?” Blaine asked, obviously trying to change the subject as if it made him uncomfortable, so Sam feigned not noticing.

“It’s not that bad, I guess” Sam answered, shrugging his shoulders.

“I feel like I’m going to be okay here” Blaine said, and to Sam it seemed like he was more thinking out loud this time than really talking to him.

“I hope so” Sam answered, not knowing what else to say, and Blaine just smiled at him gratefully. Oh God, Sam thought, that smile was going to be the death of him. Damn you, Sebastian!


	2. Chapter 2

Sam was brought back to reality from his day-dreaming by a playful nudge to his ribs by the person who was sitting next to him: lovely Blaine –how pathetic it was of him to think of the word _lovely_ whenever Blaine came to his mind, which was quite often?

“Welcome back” Blaine whispered jokingly, and Sam could only smile at him. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. I just got distracted for a second” he answered, reassuringly. What was he supposed to say, that he had been thinking about him all the time? No way.

Sam looked at his other side, to see Sebastian looking back at him and not looking the most happy he could be. Sam knew he was trying hard to approach Blaine, had been doing it for the whole week, but the latter was not making it very easy for him. It’s true the Blaine was not being rude or downright evasive –he was still perfect and charming every minute of the day–, he just… wasn’t reacting to Sebastian’s low-key flirting as the taller boy would have expected. If he did it consciously or it was just chance, Sam didn’t honestly know. But the truth was that, somehow, Blaine always ended up next to Sam, instead of Sebastian.

That same morning, for instance, Sam had been the first one to arrive to class, surprisingly enough, and had sat in one of the chairs closer to the window. When Blaine had arrived next, he had just sat at his side, so when Sebastian arrived, it had been impossible for him to sit next to Blaine. Sam had received quite a killer look from his best friend, but it hadn’t been his fault! It’s not like he had arrived earlier than usual on purpose to sit on the second to last seat on the row, knowing that Blaine usually arrived pretty soon and would pick the seat nearer to the window, was it?

“Are you daydreaming again?” a sweet voice whispered dangerously close to his ear, sending shivers all along his body. “You’ve not written a word for ages”

“I’ll try to concentrate” Sam answered with a nervous smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you copy my notes” Blaine offered sweetly, sliding his notebook nearer to Sam so he could take a look at it. And even as he smiled gratefully at Blaine, he could feel Sebastian’s look at the back of his neck. Boy, that year was going to get difficult.

**********

“Hey, Blaine, do you want to be a part of our research group in history?” Sebastian offered kindly at the end of the day, as they were moving out of the classroom. “The four of us always work together, but the teacher said we could do a group of five, so we wouldn’t mind for you to join us. Right, boys?”

“We surely wouldn’t” Sam answered a little too willingly, eliciting a shy smile from Blaine.

“Well, if you guys really don’t mind, it would be great” Blaine answered gratefully. “I still don’t know anybody around here and it would be difficult to find someone to work with”

“We should warn you we are not the most clever or hardworking people around here, though” Puck told him, only half joking, making Blaine chuckle.

“Hey!” Mike mockingly protested. “Speak for yourself! I’m brilliant!”

“I’m not that bad either!” Sebastian intervened with a chuckle.

“Well, I am, I’m not going to deny it” Sam confessed, once again bringing a smile to Blaine’s face at his raw honesty.

“Come on, you can’t be that bad” Blaine told him, nudging him playfully, spreading a warmth across Sam’s chest that little had to do with Blaine’s compliment about his studying skills. “Although the lack of concentration I saw in you before doesn’t help any, I’m sure”

“Believe me, I am” Sam responded, nodding pitifully.

“Believe me, he is” Puck added, jokingly.

“Well, thank you!” Sam told him, playfully punching him in the arm.

“You’re welcome. I know what I’m talking about, I am as much of a disaster as you are”

“Yes, that’s true” Sam answered, chuckling.

“I could help you” Blaine offered Sam immediately. “What’s the subject you have more problems with?”

“You pick” Sam answered, honestly.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, I can help a little with everything. I’ve always got good marks” Blaine suggested, and Sam fell for him just a bit more when he noticed the lack of arrogance in his words; he really only wanted to help.

“Wouldn’t you mind?” Sam couldn’t believe his luck: he was going to get some much-needed help with his studies, and on top of that he was getting to spend more time with Blaine, without him being disloyal to Sebastian. “I could really use some help”

“Of course I don’t mind, it was me who suggested it, wasn’t it?” Blaine responded, chuckling.

“Am I included in that offer?” Puck intervened, sensing something going between those two.

“Of course” Blaine responded jovially, trying not to show how disappointed he was that it was not going to be only Sam and him.

“Please, I’m joking” Puck was quick to deny. “The last thing I need is to spend more time with my head stuck in books, it’s bad enough having to stay here all day”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to do something to improve your grades, you know” Mike intervened, obviously wanting the best for his best friend.

“It wouldn’t hurt me, you say? It surely would! I would go crazy!”

“As if you weren’t already...” Mike mumbled, getting a cuff on his head from Puck for good measure. “Hey!”

“When do you want us to get started?” Blaine asked Sam.

“Already? It’s only the first week of the year” Sebastian intervened, not that comfortable with the idea of Blaine getting busy with someone who was not him, as that would leave him less time and chances to woo him.

“Well, the sooner the better, isn’t it?” Blaine answered at Sebastian, though looking at Sam to guess his opinion in the matter. “What’s the use in postponing it, when you can be up to date from the beginning? What do you think, Sam?”

“Emmm...” Sam hesitated between his desire to begin spending so much time with Blaine and the guiltiness at the gaze he was receiving from Sebastian. At last, desire won. “Yeah, sure, as soon as possible makes more sense”

“Ok, so I’ll see you at the library tomorrow after school, is that alright?”

“Yes, that’s great”

“Ok, then. I’ll see you guys tomorrow” Blaine said with one of those sweet smiles that made Sam’s knees go weak, before waving his hand at them and turning to go.

“Wait!” Sebastian practically shouted at his retreating back, making Blaine turn around in an instant.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! It’s just that we were planning to go to this bar after class to have a drink, play a little pool... We do it every now and then. Would you like to join us?”

Blaine looked at his watch nervously, and the others could tell he was trying to make a decision.

“Come on” Sebastian insisted. “It’s not like you’re going to start studying today, is it?”

Blaine smiled politely at Sebastian’s attempt of humor and then relented.

“Okay. But just for a while”

“Fair enough” Sebastian answered, putting his arm around Blaine and directing him through the exit door as the others followed them.

Was it just his imagination, Sam thought, or Blaine’s smile faltered a bit because he was not entirely comfortable with Sebastian’s impulsive gesture?

**********

“Okay, guys, what do you want to drink?” Mike asked, offering to bring the drinks to the table. “Coke for everyone, like always?”

Everybody nodded, except for Blaine.

“Nothing for me, thanks” he shyly answered.

“Are you sure?” Mike insisted.

“Yes, I don’t want anything” Blaine responded with a polite smile.

“Ok, then, four cokes. Would someone be as kind as to help me bring them?” Mike asked jokingly.

“I’ll help you, Mikey” Puck offered. “And then we can play some pool. I owe you a rematch”

“You owe me? It was me who won the last time!” Mike mockingly protested.

“Was it? My memory is not that good, you know that. Especially if it’s about something I don’t want to remember” Puck joked back, as they moved away from the table.

After a couple of minutes, Mike and Puck left Sam and Sebastian’s drinks on the table and went to the pool area, as they had agreed on. That left the other three boys at the table, something which was not entirely appealing to Sebastian.

“Sam, didn’t you tell me you wanted to play today?” Sebastian told him pointedly, wanting Sam to disappear to be alone with Blaine.

“Did I?” Sam asked, pretending not to understand what Sebastian was meaning.

“Yes, back in class, remember?” Sebastian insisted.

“Oh yes, yes I did” Sam finally relented, knowing he couldn’t pretend anymore. “But Puck and Mike have already started a game, I can’t play on my own, can I?”

“I’ll play with you” Blaine immediately offered, and Sam had to suppress a smile at such a turn of events.

“I’m sure there’s no need for that” Sebastian intervened, trying everything he could to avoid Blaine’s leaving the table, even if that meant keeping Sam there too. “Sam can wait for Puck and Mike to finish their game”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, I love pool. Shall we, Sammy?” Blaine asked him kindly, all smiles again, and Sam’s heart melted when Blaine shortened his name in such a sweet way. No nature force would have been able to stop him from standing up and following Blaine to the pool table –or anywhere he went.

“Sammy?” Sebastian asked him, grabbing his sleeve to stop him, when Blaine was already out of earshot.

Sam loved Sebastian, he was his best friend and everything, but he couldn’t help but to feel kind of resentful towards him from having taking the chance from him to discover if maybe he could have some kind of future with Blaine. So he again had to suppress a devil smirk at the fact that Blaine, once again, had preferred him over Sebastian. Maybe he couldn’t have anything with Blaine –he would never do that to Sebastian–, but nobody could stop him from enjoying what felt like small victories. So he just shrugged his shoulders, feigning both confusion and guiltiness, and followed Blaine to the pool table.

The expression Sebastian’s face was wearing was not very friendly when Mike and Puck came back to the table to have a drink and rest for a bit after a while.

“If looks could kill” Puck commented, as he and Mike sat each side of Sebastian.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mike asked, caring as always.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sebastian answered, annoyance evident in his voice.

“Is this about Blaine? Things not working out as you had planned?” Puck asked kind of sarcastically.

“No, they sure aren’t. Otherwise he would be sitting here with me, not playing pool with Sam”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Give him some time to know you. Maybe he was really in the mood for some pool” Mike tried to cheer him up.

“It doesn’t matter what I do or say, I just seem to push him away from me... and into Sam’s arms” he only mumbled the last part to himself, not wanting to sound ridiculously jealous.

“Poor Sebastian, the new boy hasn’t fallen head over heels for him” Puck said sarcastically.

“You don’t have to be so pleased about it” Sebastian responded, slightly annoyed.

“It’s not that I’m pleased about your failures” Puck explained.

“Thank you” Sebastian sarcastically responded, judgingly raising his eyebrows at Puck’s choice of words.

“You know what I mean. But I think it can be good for you, every now and then you need to be brought down a peg or two when it comes to... how do you call it? Boy hunting?” Puck reprimanded him, as they all thought Sebastian sometimes was too frivolous about his conquests.

“If you think a little setback is going to change my plans... Blaine will swallow the bait sooner or later, as they all do. He’s too pretty for me to give up on him” Sebastian explained with a confident look that elicited slightly frustrated sighs in both his friends.

Meanwhile, Blaine and Sam were having a great time at the pool area. None of them gave a damn about who would win, but both pretended to care for the sake of the game –and not to give away too much of their feelings.

“You suck at this!” Sam joked, after a particularly big fail of his opponent.

“Please, don’t try to cushion the blow!” Blaine joked back with a wholehearted laugh that deeply warmed Sam’s chest.

“I’m just worried. If you’re that bad in everything you do, maybe I shouldn’t trust to with my studies”

“Hey, with that I’m good!”

“You said that about pool too”

“No, I didn’t!” Blaine responded with mock indignation.

“You’re right, you didn’t. I’ll have to trust your word, then” Sam responded in a way he hoped didn’t sound too much like flirting.

“You should” Blaine answered, pretending to be offended, but his face was decorated with that million-dollars-smile of his again a second later.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?”

“Emm... no, thanks”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but... is it about money?” Sam asked, hesitantly.

“How do you know?” Blaine replied before he could stop himself, realizing a bit too late that he had confirmed Sam’s suspicions.

“Well, it’s happened to me too!” Sam said with an understanding smile, wanting for Blaine to know it was nothing to be ashamed of. “Those guys are great, but they don’t always understand what it is to be broke all the time”

“I’m glad you understand. Sometimes it’s a little embarrassing” Blaine confessed with a little smile.

“I know. I would love to buy you something, but I don’t really have any more money” Sam told him regretfully.

“I wouldn’t...” Blaine started, but Sam wouldn’t even let him finish the sentence.

“But we will share mine. Do you like coke?” Sam kindly offered.

“No, please, it’s okay” Blaine shyly refused, but Sam was having none of that.

“I asked you if you liked coke, I don’t remember asking for your opinion” Sam joked as he stretched his arm in front of Blaine to hand him his can, eliciting a wide and fond smile on Blaine’s lips.

“Thank you” he told him gratefully.

“Us poor people have to stick together, don’t we?”

Blaine chuckled again after taking a sip and returned the can to Sam, making sure their fingers came into contact. Sam’s eyes immediately turned to Blaine’s, trying to find out what was in Blaine’s mind and if he had done that on purpose. But all coherent thought left his own mind when their gazes met, and the only thing he could do was to smile goofily at Blaine.

“It’s my turn” he said, his eyes never leaving those of the lovely person standing in front of him.

“To what?” Blaine asked distractedly, his gaze lost in the green depths of Sam’s eyes.

“To pool” Sam answered, and Blaine blinked a few times in an attempt of breaking the spell that had them so absorbed in each other.

“Of course. Come on, it’s your turn to screw it up so I can win” Blaine joked as he moved a bit away from Sam, feigning giving him some room to play –to which Sam could only feel disappointed at not having him that near anymore.

Back on the table, the other three boys –especially Sebastian– were quite busy observing Blaine and Sam. Although they couldn’t hear what was being said, not a gesture between the two boys went by without the other three being avid witnesses to it.

“Is it me or Sam is getting on too well with Blaine?” Sebastian commented after the can intercourse.

“Oh come on, Seb, Sam is just being nice. It’s hard to be the new one, he just wants to help” Mike defended Sam, hoping he would be right in the end.

“Well, he’s supposed to be the shy one, isn’t he? It doesn’t seem to me as he has been having problems talking to Blaine”

“Where is this going, Seb? Are you jealous?” Puck asked, as he had never been the one to beat about the bush. “Do you think Sam would betray you like that, and right under your nose? Give him some credit, man, he’s your best friend!”

“I know you’re right. It’s just... He’s keeping Blaine away from me, and I need him nearer than that if I want something with him” Sebastian explained.

“Seb, you’re a good person and I love you and everything, but I can’t stand you when it comes to your ‘love life’, really” Mike confessed, needing for Sebastian to know he didn’t approve of his ways with boys. “Though I’m guessing love is the last thing on your mind right now”

Sebastian’s only response was to smile wickedly, to which both Mike and Puck exchanged knowing looks.

“I hope you will treat him with respect, at least, I’m starting to like him and I think he could be a good friend” Mike added, not wanting to see Blaine getting hurt because of Sebastian’s shallow attentions.

“Hey, I don’t intend to be mean to him or to send him away after we’ve had our thing! He can stay if he wants, I like him too” Sebastian answered.

“Ok, I hope you stay true to your word and I don’t have to regret helping you” Puck offered. “See how he’s continually moving his body to the beat of the background music? I bet he loves music. Or dancing. Or both of them. Do you know what you should do? Invite him to the club with us on Saturday. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to come. After all, he doesn’t have any friends here, right? I bet he’s dying to find something to do at the weekend”

“Hey, I think it’s a great idea. Turns out you’re not completely useless” Sebastian joked, eliciting a smile from both his friends.

“I knew you would notice sooner or later” Puck answered sarcastically.

Sam and Blaine chose that moment to finish their game and came back to the table, both of them too smiley and happy-looking for Sebastian’s taste –because yes, he loved Blaine’s smile, but he wanted to be the one to elicit it–. And Blaine was about to sit down when something came to his mind.

“What time is it?” Blaine asked all of a sudden.

“It’s past 5:30” Mike answered, looking at his watch.

“What?” Blaine asked while his face visibly paled –something that didn’t go unnoticed to any of the other boys–. “I’ve got to go” he said, very quickly putting on his jacket and turning to the door. “See you tomorrow, guys, thanks for everything”

“Wait, Blaine!” Sebastian stopped him. “Don’t leave like this! We can all go and accompany each other home, like we always do”

“No, thank you, Sebastian, but I must leave now. See you” he hurriedly answered, already halfway to the door, not leaving them time to react.

“That boy sure is... strange” Sebastian commented once Blaine had disappeared, and Sam somehow didn’t like it one bit.

“Why, because he’s in a hurry? It can happen to the best of us, you know” Sam sarcastically replied, suddenly feeling very protective of the curly-haired guy.

“I know, but it’s not just that” Sebastian answered, not noticing Sam’s irritated tone. “He seems to have some issues, doesn’t he? I mean, he never talks about himself, and it’s like he’s always nervous or uncomfortable”

Sam had noticed that too. Apart from his immediate warmth and his friendly way in everything he said and did, which were kind of obvious, there was some hidden mistrust and vulnerability that made him build a protecting wall around himself, which apparently only Sam could climb to see what was on the other side, but only to a certain point. Sam realized that after a whole week, in which Blaine had practically become a part of their gang, he didn’t know anything about his life. Only that he didn’t have a lot of money, that he had been in Lima for less than two months and that something about being late coming back home had really scared him.

Yes, he knew all that and he realized that Blaine was probably more complicated than most boys their age. But that didn’t mean he had to like Sebastian referring to him as ‘strange’. What the hell did he know?

“Should we get going?” Sam offered, a little too unfriendly, just so he didn’t have to keep talking about Blaine with someone so quick to judge without having seen the whole picture.

“Yes, let’s get going, it’s pretty late, actually” Mike agreed with him, following him to the door, and finally the other two just had to oblige.

**********

Sam was getting ready to get into bed that night, but he found he could not stop thinking about Blaine. The way he had left and the expression on his face had left him worried. If only there was a way to know he was okay... Wait a minute, of course there was! They had exchanged their mobile phones that same day, while playing pool –Blaine had asked for his with the excuse of having a way to get to him if he couldn’t make it to the library or something. He could text him! How he had not thought about it before?

He hesitated for a minute, though. Would that be interfering in Sebastian’s ground? To be honest, it was not the most common thing to start texting your best friend’s love interest, or whatever Blaine was to Sebastian. But Sam was not really looking to make advances in Blaine right now: he was only worried about him. He honestly only wanted to know he was okay. He was allowed to be his friend, right? Of course he had the right to do it. Just better not to say anything to Sebastian, though, in case he didn’t agree with his reasoning.

He sat on his bed and picked up his phone to start writing. _Hey, dude_ , he started, trying to be nice without looking too fond. _You left in such a hurry that I needed to check you were okay_ , he went on. No, way too intense for a week-long friend. He erased the sentence and tried again: _You left in such a hurry that I was wondering if everything’s alright._ Much better, friendly but not so obvious.  And now he needed something to end the message, a change of subject to make it look like his worrying was not the only reason he had written him. _Does your offer to help me after class still stands? See you tomorrow, mate_. Yes, that was great. Just so Blaine would see he cared about him but nothing too intimate. Just a friend worrying about him. But not too much. Or was it...? He would better send it now, before he started regretting it.

Only a couple of minutes had passed when he received the much-expected answer. He clumsily picked up the phone from the night stand and opened the inbox, his heart beating faster when he confirmed the new message was Blaine’s.

_Everything’s good, man, thanks for asking. Of course the offer still stands, I’ll see you at the library after class tomorrow, ok? Thanks._

A goofy smile broke in Sam’s lips at reading the message, for different reasons. The most important was that Blaine was alright, of course. The second one, he still got to study with him the next day, something that really made him very happy because he was going to be spending some time with him on their own. And the third one was that he knew his worry for Blaine had really touched him. He had thanked him. Twice. In one message. That had to mean something.

As he left his phone on the nightstand again and hid his arms under the covers against the cold temperature, he realized he should not be feeling this happy about everything that had to do with Blaine. After all, nothing could happen between them, he was out of limits for him; Sebastian had made that perfectly clear.

But that night he didn’t care –he would worry about that the next day, if anything–. That night he went to sleep with a smile on his face and his heart filled with the warmth of a particular golden-eyed boy that had entered his life only a week ago. And who seemed very keen on turning it upside-down.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam looked at the classroom door for what seemed like the hundredth time since he had arrived, while waiting for the teacher to come. It was unusual for Blaine to be that late. Heck, he worried a lot about school and he was usually the first one there. Sam started worrying if Blaine had lied to him when he had texted him the night before telling him he was alright. Because why would he be late if everything was fine?

He didn’t have time to wonder anymore as he saw the teacher arriving at last. Great, that made Blaine officially late. If he came at all. Gosh, when had he become such a worrier? And about someone he had known for barely a week?

But just when the teacher was about to close the door, a voice from outside asked her to wait and she moved slightly to let that person enter.

“Thank you” Blaine told her with a grateful and breathtaking smile that made Sam chuckle. What a charmer he was.

“I’ll feign not having noticed you’re late, Blaine” she told her, trying to sound reproachful, but she didn’t fool anyone.

“Thanks” Blaine again smiled at her, and he swiftly made his way to his usual spot, right next to the window.

Sam silently cursed Sebastian for having taken the seat next to Blaine’s this time –he was not going to be fooled again, Sam knew–, because he was dying to ask Blaine if everything was okay. He tried to catch his gaze behind Sebastian’s head, but Blaine was too busy taking his notebook and pens out of his backpack and would not look at him. Or at last Sam wanted to think that, because the alternative –that Blaine was avoiding his gaze– didn’t sound good at all and only made him worry all over again.

“Wow, I didn’t know you had it in you to be late” Sam heard Sebastian tell Blaine, who just looked at him with an indefinable expression on his face –Sam wondered if he was disappointed not to be sitting next to him, as he didn’t seem to be as comfortable with Sebastian.

“Yeah, well...” was all the explanation he offered with a shy smile.

“Well, you made it just in time” Sebastian tried again to entice a conversation, but once again Blaine disappointed him, this time with just a polite smile and a nod of his head. He didn’t seem to be in the mood for silly talk, Sam thought. Or maybe he was just stressed at having had to run to make it on time.

Sam wondered, not for the first time, if Blaine was only shy –though he hadn’t been with him from day one, that was clear– or there was something else that motivated his changeable nature: one day he was all smiles and warmth; and then the next day he would be quiet, shy and insecure. He would still smile, but in a different way. Just like he was trying to be polite, like he wanted to please the others even if he had to do a big effort. Like he had done just now.

Sam could tell Blaine was a very complex person, or at least it looked that so. But that, far from making him want to stay away from him, fascinated him, and he only wanted to get to know him better, to explore all that complexity to the limit. He was surprised to discover that he didn’t want to “get off” with him, like Sebastian obviously did: he wanted to get to know Blaine in a different way, in a deeper way.

“Hey, Blaine” Sam was surprised to hear Sebastian trying again after a while. “Do you like cinema?”

“Em... I guess” Blaine answered, utterly surprised about such a decontextualized question.

“I happen to have a couple of free tickets for this afternoon. Would you be interested?”

“Thanks, Sebastian, you’re so kind, but I can’t, this afternoon I’m meeting Sam to help him with his studies, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, I had forgotten” Sam wondered if Blaine could tell as clearly as he did that Sebastian was lying. But he was surely lying. “But I’m sure Sam won’t mind postponing it for a day”

“No, Sebastian, I’m sorry. Part of helping him is to make him understand how important it is to take it seriously, it wouldn’t set a very good example if I skipped it at first occasion, would it?” Blaine answered, and Sam smiled at how responsible –and stubborn– that boy seemed to be. Sebastian was not going to have it easy, that was for sure.

“Yeah, of course” Sebastian answered, but he couldn’t be less convinced. “Maybe another day”

“Sure” Blaine smiled, and returned his attention to his notes, as he didn’t want to fall behind with them.

“Mind if I copy your notes? I missed the last part” Sebastian asked Blaine, and Sam wondered if there would be a limit to Sebastian’s approach attempts.

Blaine hesitated just a second, Sam noticed, but at the end he turned his notebook a bit for Sebastian to be able to look at it, and then put up stoically and uncomfortably with Sebastian’s head practically leaning on his shoulder as he pretended to read. Sam wondered for a second why everything about Blaine that flowed with such an ease with him –it had only been yesterday when Blaine himself had offered his notebook to him– seemed to become ten times harder with other people. He didn’t know why it was like this: maybe they were on closer terms, or maybe Blaine found Sebastian tried too much, he didn’t know; but it surely made him ridiculously happy to be in that privileged position. And sorry that Blaine had to put up with so many things that clearly made him uncomfortable.

As Sebastian kept copying Blaine’s notes, Sam was finally able to catch Blaine’s gaze for a second over Sebastian’s head, and he gave him an understanding smile that Blaine immediately returned, causing a by-now-too-familiar warmth to spread across Sam’s chest. Boy, he was screwed.

**********

“Hey, Sam” Blaine happily approached Sam when the classes were finally over for the day. “I’ve got to go see the history teacher to let him know I’m in your research group. Is it okay if I meet you at the library like... in five minutes?”

“Yeah, sure” Sam answered, butterflies making their way across his stomach at the prospect of spending the afternoon at such close quarters with Blaine, even if it was studying.

“Great, I won’t be long” he told him with a sweet smile, and then he turned to the other boys. “I’ll see you guys on Monday!”

“Blaine, wait” Sebastian asked, grabbing Blaine’s arm to stop him from leaving, and Sam could have sworn the curly-haired boy had momentarily cringed at the unexpected contact. “You know, as tomorrow is Saturday, we had planned to go to that really nice club to have a drink, dance for a while... Would you like to come with us?”

“Well... I don’t think I can” Blaine answered, kind of uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“Why not?” Sebastian asked, oblivious to any discomfort.

“I... I don’t have the money for it” he mumbled embarrassingly, and Sam’s heart went to him at seeing the sadness on his face.

“But that’s not a problem. I’ll buy” Sebastian immediately offered.

“Hey, you have to come now! It doesn’t happen very often that Sebastian buys” Puck intervened, putting his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders, and then feigning to whisper something only to Blaine. “He’s a little stingy, you know”

“Hey, I meant only Blaine!” Sebastian protested.

“See?” Puck asked Blaine, and the latter snorted at the friends’ banter.

“No, Sebastian, thank you very much, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable about it” Blaine apologized honestly.

“Don’t be ridiculous! I offered, didn’t I?” Sebastian insisted, apparently not used to take ‘no’ for an answer.

“Yes, but...”

“No buts. You’re coming with us”

“Ok, thanks” Blaine relented, and Sam could see he was not entirely happy about it but, as usual, he just smiled politely. “Now I really have to go. See you, guys”

“Wow, he is hard to convince” Sebastian commented once Blaine was out of earshot.

“He sure is” Puck agreed. “But well, as much as we would like to stay and debate Seb’s convincing skills, we really have something very important to do, and that’s going to the bar and playing pool. Don’t we, Mikey?”

“Again? I should be getting started with my language essay...” Mike answered, but it was pretty clear he was going to let himself be convinced.

“Your essay will be there tomorrow, don’t worry” Puck insisted, putting his arm around Mike’s shoulders to push him to the door. “Are you coming with us, Seb?”

“Yes, yes, go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute” Sebastian answered, sending the two of them away, as he turned to Sam. “Ok, so you and Blaine in the library. Make sure to speak to him about me every now and then”

“We are not going to chat, we are going to study” Sam reminded him.

“I know, but it’s not going as well as I expected with that Blaine thing, and I need you to smooth the path for me, so then he’ll be just right for me to attack” Sebastian responded with a mischievous smile.

“Will you please stop talking about him like he was a piece of meat? He’s a person, you know” Sam reprimanded Sebastian before he could stop himself, really surprising the latter.

“I know he is, I was only kidding, Sam” Sebastian tried to justify himself, not really sure what did he have to justify for.

“Well, then maybe you shouldn’t kid so much, sometimes it gets really offensive”

“Well, I didn’t mean to. But let me tell you that my way of talking had never bothered you before. I wonder what’s changed...” Sebastian answered, and Sam could have sworn Sebastian was dropping a hint and that he knew, or at least suspected, about his feelings for Blaine.

“I should get going” Sam said, wanting to finish the conversation before it got him into trouble.

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow then” Sebastian responded, clapping his hand on Sam’s shoulder.

“Bye, dude”

Sam climbed up the stairs to get to the library, deep in thought: the situation with Blaine –and Sebastian– was starting to become more and more complicated, and he was finding it difficult to control. On one hand, he was completely under Blaine’s spell, he knew that, and being with him made him incredibly happy. On the other hand, though, Blaine was off limits if he wanted to be loyal to his best friend, which should be out of question. After all, he knew Sebastian’s self-steem had a lot to do with his usual success in the dating department, and he didn’t want to be the one to cause him any pain if Blaine rejected Sebastian because of him.

And precisely the fact that Blaine seemed to be much more interested in him than in Sebastian –even he didn’t know yet if it was only as a friend or as something else– surely wasn’t helping him any. If anything, it only made Sebastian try harder. And that made Blaine uncomfortable. Crap, what a mess.

When Sam made it to the library, Blaine was there already, having picked, once again, a table by the window. Sam wondered if it was the windows what he wanted or just to be on one side of the room, as isolated as possible from the rest of the people. Not from him, though, judging by the smile he addressed at him when he saw him, so Sam just returned the smile and moved to sit next to him.

“Wow, you were fast” Sam told him as he sat down.

“Yeah, I met the teacher on my way there and I just told him. So should we get started?” Blaine suggested.

“Yeah, sure” Sam answered, taking his folder from his backpack.

“What’s this?” Blaine asked as he picked up Sam’s folder.

“That’s my folder” Sam answered, surprised at the question.

“It has no dividers”

“No, it’s a plain folder”

“That must be the first problem” Blaine commented as he opened it and some loose sheets fell off it. “How can you survive in this mess?”

“I can’t, that’s why I needed help in the first place” Sam joked, eliciting a wide smile from Blaine.

“Ok, so homework? Find a folder with dividers, and use it!” Blaine said, trying to sound stern even if he couldn’t stop grinning.

“You’re giving me homework?” Sam asked, mockingly outraged.

“I sure am! You need to be more organized. I bet your pages aren’t even numbered”

“Are what?”

“Oh my God!” Blaine exclaimed with a chuckle that immediately warmed Sam’s heart, even if the latter knew it was at his expense. “How do you know what comes after what?”

“I... look for it” Sam answered with a shrug of his shoulders and a cocky smile that just made Blaine laugh again.

“Losing some precious time you could be using in studying” Blaine continued more seriously, though he never lost that gorgeous smile of him. “Besides, you can do that with three or four pages, but what happens when you’re up to twenty? Gosh, I don’t know how you’ve been able to live without me until now!”

“Neither do I” Sam answered, only half joking –and not referring only to the studying department.

“Well, the task for today will be to get all organized. Is that okay with you?” Blaine asked with his usual kindness that just made Sam’s knees go week whenever it was directed at him –which seemed to be quite often.

“Sounds great” he immediately agreed –just as he would have agreed to jump from a bridge as long as Blaine asked him with that smile of his.

They spent a good while just arranging Sam’s papers, separating them by subjects with paper clips and numbering the pages, their hands brushing and their cheeks blushing more times than they could count. By the time they were finished, it was too late to do anything else, so they decided to start with the real studying another day.

“Mind if I walk you home?” Sam told Blaine as they were packing their things to go. He didn’t know where that had even come from, but he had said it before even being aware of it. Screw it, the damage was already done with the question, he would enjoy Blaine’s company to the fullest while he could if Blaine let him. “I feel like walking for a while, and I don’t want to do it on my own”

“Sure” Blaine answered, nodding enthusiastically, apparently very glad to remain at Sam’s side for a while longer.

**********

They kept a light conversation, full of joking and nonsense, while they walked towards Blaine’s home, so close together that their hands kept brushing each other again every now and then –without either one of them caring about it at all.

“You don’t have to come tomorrow to the club if you don’t want to, you know” Sam suddenly told Blaine, after a few seconds of companionable silence between them.

“Why? Don’t you want me to come?” Blaine asked, quite disappointed at thinking Sam didn’t want him there.

“I would love for you to come!” Sam was quick to assure him, the last thing on his mind to offend or hurt the shorter boy in any way. “But it seemed to me like you felt forced to accept, so I’m just telling you can do whatever you want, of course”

“No, I want to go, really. It’s just... I don’t like people making decisions for me” Blaine answered honestly, even if he knew Sebastian was Sam’s best friend –but he also knew he could trust Sam with the truth, so...

“Yeah, I know. Sebastian is a great guy but... sometimes he can be really insistent” Sam told him with an understanding smile, making Blaine chuckle.

“But I’m very grateful to him all the same” Blaine added, not wanting to cause a rift between the two friends. “He has been making a big effort to include me in your group”

“Yes, he’s very kind” Sam answered, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice that Blaine didn’t seem to detect.

Blaine stopped suddenly in front of a building and turned to Sam.

“This is where I live” he said, almost apologizing for putting an end to their day together.

“Ah, now I know where you live you won’t be able to escape from me” Sam joked, and Blaine had to fight very hard against himself not to answer he didn’t have any intention of doing it.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Just text me to let me know the time” Blaine said with a smile, but Sam stopped him before he could move a step away from him.

“Hey, what’s this?” Sam asked worriedly, as he brought his fingers to Blaine’s cheek to gently brush a little bruise he was appalled to discover there as Blaine stood directly in front of him for the first time that day –had he made sure to always sit at the side where Sam wouldn’t see it?

“This? Oh, it’s nothing” Blaine tried to dismiss his worry. “I was in such a hurry yesterday that when I arrived home I tripped over the carpet and fell right on my face. How clumsy I am?” Blaine explained with a too jovial –or forced– chuckle.

“Really?” Sam didn’t know why, but he didn’t buy Blaine’s story. And for a brief moment, he wondered if Blaine had come late that morning to avoid being questioned about it.

“Of course. Well, see you tomorrow, okay?” Blaine repeated, and without giving Sam any more chance to question him, he quickly turned away and entered the building.

No, Sam surely wasn’t buying his story.


	4. Chapter 4

Blaine picked up his phone from his desk with a smile when it beeped, imagining who it was the one texting him on a Saturday morning. The tingling feeling on his stomach that had become so usual for him lately –funnily enough, it always happened around Sam– appeared again as he opened the message and read.

_Hey, Blaine! We agreed to meet at the club at 6. Since you don’t know where the place is and I know where you live, you want me to pick you up at 5.30?_

Blaine’s smile widened even further at the message. And at imagining Sam’s mischievous smirk as he wrote it. Of course he had already known about the time –Sebastian had already texted him–, but the prospect of Sam taking him there only made it more interesting. How he wished he knew if Sam was only being his usual kind self by offering to pick him up, or the truth was he was dying to see him alone as much as he was. He hoped it was the second option and he wasn’t alone on whatever was happening between them. In any case, he was really glad he had agreed to meet them at the club, so he didn’t have to wait until Monday to see Sam again.

But wait, he still had to answer.

_Hey, Sam! Sounds great! I can’t wait!_

He preferred to leave it open like that, not specifying if he couldn’t wait to go to the club or for Sam to pick him up. He wasn’t sure about Sam’s feelings at all –sometimes he could feel the chemistry between them, but on other occasions it seemed like something was getting in their way–, so he would better not make it so obvious, just in case. He didn’t know if he would be able to stand being rejected by that wonderful boy who had invaded every corner of his mind and his heart in just a few days.

But he stopped that trail of thought immediately: today was going to be a great day, and he didn’t want to ruin it. So better start thinking about what he was going to wear...

***********

When it was still ten minutes away from 5.30, Blaine couldn’t wait any longer and decided to get out and wait for Sam outside. He could do with a bit of fresh air, as he was getting claustrophobic at home, just waiting for the time to pass. Or maybe he was just a little too anxious…

So it was quite a bit of a surprise when he reached the street and found Sam was already there, waiting for him. And he seemed quite happy to see him, as the smile that broke in his lips was almost as big as the one in his own face when their gazes met.

“Wow! You’re not late!” Blaine joked, knowing Sam’s fondness of unpunctuality.

“I’m always ready to make an exception for you” Sam answered, realizing a little too late that what he had intended as a joke had come more like flirting. Not that Blaine seemed to mind, though, as his smile only widened even more.

“Oh, and to what do I owe this honor?” Blaine answered, pretending not to be holding his breath at the answer.

“Just... to being you” Sam answered in a small voice, a little bit embarrassed, while he started walking just so he had something to do.

“That’s not such a great thing” Blaine mumbled to himself, and Sam noticed he was not joking anymore.

“What?” Sam asked, turning to look intently at him, and Blaine seemed almost surprised at having been heard.

“Being me” Blaine answered, and now it was his turn to be uncomfortable.

Blaine lowered his head and kept walking, and Sam felt bad for, although involuntarily, having provoked that change on Blaine’s mood, so he just put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and squeezed him to his side, eliciting a small chuckle from him.

“Well, think about it this way: I changed my horrible punctuality habits just for you. You can’t be that bad” Sam joked, glad to see Blaine smiling again.

“You just look kindly on me” Blaine dismissed him, even if he was feeling better already.

“Maybe. But rest assured I like what I see” Sam answered, squeezing him again before letting go of him, not caring if it sounded like flirting this time because the important thing now was to make Blaine feel better.

Blaine felt ridiculously happy at Sam’s comment, but at the same time his previous doubts came back to him: was Sam just being nice to him, intending to cheer him up, or there was something else behind his words? Whichever the answer was, though, Blaine was happy to have met him: just to have him as a friend was wonderful enough. Even if he obviously would want so much more.

**********

The club where they had agreed to meet with the other boys was not that far from Blaine’s place, so it didn’t take them too long to get there –Sam had meticulously planned it so they would arrive before the others did and they wouldn’t know he and Blaine had arrived together–. But as they turned around the corner, Sam was surprised to see Sebastian already standing at the door –he probably had arrived early hoping to get Blaine alone too–, so he had to think fast.

“Hey, Seb! Look whom I just found on my way here!” Sam exclaimed strangely jovial, and Blaine looked at him in surprise. What did that mean? Didn’t Sam want anyone to know they had come together?

“Hey” Sebastian answered, not so jovially himself because he was obviously having doubts about Sam’s words. “So you just met?”

“Yes, we did. So, aren’t Mike and Puck around yet?” Sam asked, even if it was obvious they weren’t, just to change the subject. He didn’t want to risk looking at Blaine, in case he found anger or disappointment in his eyes at his pathetic lie, even if he had been kind enough not to contradict him.

“No, but they’ll be here soon. Sam, why don’t you wait for them here and I’ll show the club to Blaine in the meantime?” Sebastian suggested, looking intently at Sam, trying to send him a silent message to leave them alone for a while.

“Oh, don’t worry, Sebastian” Blaine dismissed him with a polite smile. “I’ll see it when we all go in, thanks”

“I insist, it’s no trouble at all” Sebastian persisted, gently but firmly pushing Blaine to the door, a bit tired of his suggestions always being rejected even if it was in such a gracious manner.

“Well, ok” Blaine reluctantly agreed, though Sam could see he was really not happy with the idea. “See you in a bit, Sam” he told him, almost regretfully.

“We’ll be there in a second” Sam answered, and to Blaine it seemed like a promise to come to his rescue, so he answered him with a smile.

**********

Fortunately for them, Puck and Mike were usually on time, and this time was no exception. Sam didn’t lose much time in greeting them, and he was soon pushing them through the door to the inside of the club.

He didn’t need to search the place for long to find the other two boys, and his insides churned with something dangerously similar to anger when he saw how Sebastian had Blaine almost cornered to a column of the place with the proximity of his body. And Sam could tell Blaine was not feeling any comfortable without some vital space –something Sam knew Blaine usually craved–, but was too nice and polite to say anything about it.

So even if he wasn’t trying to boycott Sebastian’s flirting –or maybe he was, unconsciously, he wasn’t sure–, he needed to rescue Blaine from a situation he obviously didn’t like. That’s what friends would do, right? And he always had that strange urge to protect Blaine from anything –or anyone–. Even from his best friend.

“Look, there they are” Sam told the other two, conveniently pushing them in that direction. “Let’s go say hello and then I’m up to some dancing, what about you, guys?”

“Sure!” Mike enthusiastically replied as they made their way to the other two and put his arm around Sebastian. “Hey, boys”

“Hello” Sebastian’s reply was much less enthusiastic, at being interrupted at what he considered a good opportunity to smoothing the path with Blaine.

“You look very happy to see us, Seb” Puck, always seeing more than people gave him credit for, joked.

“Hello, boys” Blaine greeted them, taking the chance to move a bit away from the column and a bit closer to Sam.

“Time to shake a leg!” Mike told them excitedly, immediately getting Blaine’s attention.

“Do you boys dance?” Blaine asked them, very interested.

“Well, we like doing it, but it’s not like we are dancers. Well, except for Sam, of course. Sam is a great dancer” Mike explained to Blaine, trying not to laugh at the big lie he was telling.

“Really?” Blaine asked, directing his words more to Sam than to Mike.

“Not at all, Mike thinks he’s very funny” Sam answered with an embarrassed smile. “He’s the real dancer here, a genius. Me… I love to dance, really, but I couldn’t be worse at it even if I tried”

“Sam, don’t underestimate yourself like that! What about your body rolls?” Puck intervened, satisfied at himself when he made the others laugh.

“Oh yeah, how could I forget?” Sam added, blushing at the image he was sure he was giving to Blaine.

“Oh, I’m sure it can be that bad!” Blaine said, trying, and failing, not to laugh. Sam was so adorable when he blushed…

“Oh, it can, believe me” Sam replied, but suddenly his embarrassment didn’t matter so much if he could make Blaine laugh like that.

“Please, show me what you can do!” Blaine pleaded excitedly, and the last thing on Sam’s mind was to deny him anything.

“Ok, but I’m warning you: you’ve never felt an embarrassment like the one you’re going to feel with me dancing at your side. Shall we get to the dance floor?” Sam suggested, and Blaine unashamedly picked up his hand to pull him to it.

“Well, guys, thank you, you’ve been a great help” Sebastian sarcastically told Puck and Mike, as the three of them followed the other two at a distance.

“So what were we supposed to do, stay outside so you could spend the day with Blaine? Don’t invite us then!” Puck protested, never the one to cushion the blow.

Sebastian’s only answer was to fume at them. This was not how he had planned what he considered a date.

Meanwhile, Sam was showing some of his best skills to Blaine, who was looking at him with adoration on his eyes –something that made Sam very proud, even if he knew he was, if possible, dancing worse than ever. But it was making Blaine laugh so much that he was adorably crunching his nose, and Sam would give anything to always have him happy and at such an ease at he was at the moment.

“See?” Blaine said between laughs in his ear, involuntarily making Sam shiver with his warm breathing. “I knew you couldn’t be that bad”

“Excuse me?” Sam answered, pretending to be bewildered at Blaine’s approving words. “I knew you were kind, but this is too much even for you. There’s a girl right there that fell unconscious to the floor when I tried to make a sexy move”

Blaine burst out laughing again, and for Sam it was like celestial music, especially knowing it was him who had provoked him. That, and the fact that Blaine was leaning on him through a hand on his shoulder, was inducing him in a kind of drunken state even when he hadn’t had anything to drink.

“Well, screw that girl, I like the way you move. It’s more... unique” Blaine answered, completely unaware of how much his sweet smile and impossibly big eyes on him were making Sam’s knees tremble.

“That didn’t sound as good as you think...” Sam joked, and was again rewarded with Blaine’s contagious laughter. “But okay, enough with the freak, shouldn’t you be dancing too?”

Blaine’s answer was only a wider smile and he immediately let go of himself to the beat of the music and started dancing as if there was no tomorrow. Blaine’s dancing was every bit as fascinating as everything about him was, Sam observed, and he found it next to impossible to stop staring at him as his body flowed effortlessly to the music, oblivious to everything that was not his movements.

“Oh, I love this song!” He shouted enthusiastically when the music changed and a Katie Perry song started playing.

Sam had to smile at seeing his friend so totally lost in the song. He wasn’t just dancing anymore, he was singing every word of the song at the top of his lungs, his eyes closed, his movements perfectly synchronized with any detail of the music. He was a total show at the moment, Sam realized, with his singing and dancing and mimicking playing some instruments, and he could even be heard over the loud music, revealing a nice and passionate voice that was every bit as good as the real singer’s.

“Hey, Seb, do you hear that? Could that be what we were missing in our little band?” Puck asked from their position after a while of observing Blaine’s spectacle, bringing his hand to Sebastian’s chin to close his mouth, which had fell open in amazement.

“Definitely” was all Sebastian could say.

The moment arrived when Sam couldn’t continue dancing, so amazed and spellbound he was about Blaine’s complete lack of restriction. He would have been fascinated by those moves and that passion even if it had been another person doing them, so the fact that this was Blaine only added to his astonishment and made him want to stare at him forever. And Blaine was so lost in his own world while he danced that Sam suspected he could be doing it for hours, if given the chance.

Unluckily for both of them, the music changed drastically and they were thrown out of their respective spells. It was then that Blaine realized how absorbed he had been in his own little world and blushed embarrassedly as he realized all the boys were staring at him. Of course, he only had eyes for one person, though.

“I got a little carried away” Blaine told Sam with an embarrassed smile, seeing as Sam was looking intently at him and seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

“Wow” Sam exclaimed when he finally found his voice, completely forgetting about restricting himself in his need to appraise Blaine –and totally forgetting about Sebastian being only a few feet from them–. “I can’t believe what I just saw. And heard: where did that beautiful voice come from? How can you be so... great?”

“Am I?” Blaine responded, ridiculously flattered, and he seemed honestly unaware of all the talent in him. If only he could see himself with Sam’s eyes…

“Have you seen yourself? I’ve never seen anybody with such a passion” as much as Sam would have adulated him to some extent if he only had been partially interesting, the truth was his words were absolutely honest.

“Oh, come on, as if you hadn’t been enjoying the music yourself!”

“Not like that, Blaine, believe me. I may have a good time with it, but nothing compared to you. Heck, nobody could compare to you”

Blaine’s smile widened impossibly, and to Sam it was the most beautiful and honest smile it had ever existed. Ok, he may be biased by the huge crush he had on him, but it was still beautiful, wasn’t it?

“Listen, Blaine” Sam told him, getting serious for a moment. “I don’t know if I have the right to tell you this on my own, and the boys might kill me later, but... we kind of have a band, or something like that. Sebastian’s a great musician, and we make our own songs. We are nothing serious, but we like to try. The problem is none of us feels confident enough to be the main singer and you have that ridiculously awesome voice...”

“Are you asking me to join you?” Blaine asked him, his eyes shining with hope.

“Yes. Well, not exactly, I have to ask the boys. But I wanted to know your opinion first. A talent and a passion like yours have to be heard and admired by everyone, it would be a crime for it to remain hidden”

Blaine threw himself at Sam’s arms in a passionate impulse. Sam tried to resist the temptation of having Blaine squeezed against his body, but what could he do? Reject him? He had no reason to do that, and he didn’t want to hurt him. And the contact with Blaine’s body was so overwhelming, that at last he couldn’t resist himself, and he enveloped Blaine’s torso strongly with his own arms, hoping against hope Sebastian wasn’t looking. Though he immediately forgot about his friend when Blaine’s body molded so beautifully against his and his unique essence invaded Sam’s reasoning to the point he couldn’t even think.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you” Blaine whispered fervently in his ear, and Sam had to close his eyes for a second to control his emotions enough to speak without giving his feelings away.

“There’s nothing to thank, Blaine” Sam answered, breaking the embrace to look at Blaine’s breathtaking and color-changing eyes, which were looking like honey at the moment. “You deserve it. And I really have to talk about it with the boys first”

Blaine looked at him for a second before answering, and Sam could see Blaine was really moved, too much for being only because of the band.

“No, Sam” Blaine contradicted him, picking up his hand to squeeze it tightly. “I mean thank you for everything”

“We just want you to have a nice start on a new place, that’s all” Sam responded, trying to diminish the importance of it, but Blaine seemed very keen in not letting him.

“I don’t mean the other boys. Well, sure, they are great, and I’m very grateful to them too. But I mean you” Blaine clarified, fixing his eyes on Sam’s in a way that the latter felt he could see through his very soul. “You have done nothing but to be kind and generous and great to me since I came here. I don’t deserve so much kindness”

“Hey, and what about you? Never before a stranger had offered to help me with my studies” Sam joked, trying to lower the emotional atmosphere they were reaching before he did something stupid.

“That’s the thing. I’ve never seen you as a stranger. There’s something about you that makes me feel at ease, as if I’d known you for years. And believe me, that doesn’t happen to me very often”

“It doesn’t happen to me either” Sam replied, squeezing Blaine’s hand in a loving way, and before he could stop himself, he was pulling Blaine slightly towards him, their faces now only inches apart from each other, his head slightly tilted to the side to have better access to Blaine’s full and tempting lips.

“Hey, Blaine, that was amazing!” Puck enthusiastically shouted as he reached them, putting his arm around Blaine and eliciting an embarrassed smile from him.

Sam came out of his trance thanks to Puck’s interruption –and he more than suspected Puck had interrupted them on purpose, maybe even blocking with his own body Sebastian’s view of them embracing– and could have kicked himself for lowering his guard so much that he had been that close to kissing Blaine, and on top of that, right under Sebastian’s nose. He had to be more careful. But Blaine’s sweetness was making it so difficult...

“Yeah, Blaine, how come you hadn’t told us about your hidden talent?” Mike asked, kindly.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s not that big a deal, is it?” Blaine answered, happily overwhelmed about such a good reaction amongst his new friends.

“That was splendid, Blaine” Sebastian told him, careful to sound more professional and to touch Blaine’s arm to make his point. “We were wondering if you would be interested in forming part of this something we have. You see...”

“Oh, Sam told me about your band” Blaine interrupted him unintentionally, so happy he was feeling.

“Oh, did he?” Sebastian answered, throwing a murderer look to his best friend, who just lowered his gaze with guilt.

“I would love to be a part of it, if you all agree” Blaine shyly told them, and all of them nodded.

“Then it’s official. You’re one of us” Sam told him a little too sweetly, earning himself another loving smile from Blaine and another killer look from Sebastian.

“Should we celebrate?” Mike suggested. “I think the most logical way to do it would be with some dancing”

“I totally agree” Blaine joked, and he and Mike immediately started dancing together to the beat, making quite a show as they were both so good.

Sam was about to follow them when he felt some staring eyes on the back of his neck. He turned around, expecting it to be Sebastian but, to his surprise, it was Puck. He returned his gaze for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on in Puck’s head, but he couldn’t tell. Was it knowledge of his feelings for Blaine? Was it anger? Disappointment? Was he judging him for being such a lousy friend? He didn’t know. But it was clearly not the time to talk about that –nor he was feeling like it–, so he just shrugged his shoulders and moved to dance with the boys, forgetting about Puck in an instant as he got to appreciate Blaine’s dancing body again.

They all danced non-stop for almost an hour, having a great time together. But then some of them started getting tired –mostly Sebastian and Puck, not so fond of dancing as the others– and Sebastian suggested for them to go have something to drink and sit for a while.

“Oh, I’ll just stay here. I feel like dancing for a while more, if someone would keep me company” Blaine refused with his habitual smile, looking at Sam to see if he was interested.

“I’m a bit tired too, sorry Blaine” Mike refused with an apologizing smile.

“That leaves only me, I guess” Sam replied, glad the decision had been made for him, and even gladder of the smile widening in Blaine’s lips. “If you don’t mind having to be seen dancing with me”

“But I promised I’d buy you something” Sebastian intervened, foreseeing that his plans were going to be ruined –once again.

“Oh, you’re very kind, but I prefer to dance. Thank you anyway” Blaine answered, already turning to dance with Sam again.

So Sebastian, Puck and Mike made their way to a table and sat down, waiting for the waiter to get their order. Both Mike and Puck could see Sebastian was a little bit disappointed or annoyed at how the afternoon had gone, as it surely hadn’t brought him any closer to being successful with Blaine –if anything, he seemed even less interested in him than ever.

“Ok, so now he’s in the band I hope I’ll get another chance with him, ‘cause nothing seems to be working” Sebastian was getting kind of desperate, by the looks of it.

“I don’t know” Puck wanted Sebastian to be prepared if nothing ever happened with Blaine –the latter seemed to have his eyes set on someone else, after all. “Don’t you think if something was to happen, it would have by now?”

“Some people need more time than others, Puck” Sebastian wasn’t one to give up easily, was he? “I’m not ready to give up on him yet. We just need... a change of scenery. And that’s what the band will be. Someone needs to show him where we rehearse, what we sing...”

“And that one will be you, of course”

“Yes, of course. Who else would it be?”

“I have no idea” Puck answered, his voice full of an irony that only Mike detected.

“Well, I’ll give it some more time. You’ll see how it will be worth it” Sebastian explained confidently.

“I just think you should consider the possibility of Blaine not wanting to have anything with you beyond a nice friendship. I don’t want to be mean or to hurt you, but it could happen, you know” Puck said, trying to be nice but honest at the same time.

“No way. It’s never happened before, I won’t let it happen with the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen. That would be inconceivable”

“Ok, as you wish” Puck surrendered, as he looked at the dance floor again. He saw Blaine and Sam getting closer and closer together, without any of them seeming to be aware of it, their moves getting synchronized and more sensual by the minute. When Blaine’s arm went around Sam’s neck, Puck jumped from his seat and made the others stand up before they could see the spectacle on the dance floor.

“We’re never getting anything here, let’s go to the bar” he ordered as he pushed them in the bar’s direction, not giving them the option to look back or even protest.

Sam was having the hardest time keeping himself from jumping on Blaine and hungrily kissing him as it was, so when Blaine’s arm went around his neck, bringing the two of them closer together, their bodies practically touching every time they moved, he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“So I’m getting quite tired already” Sam told him, trying to disentangle himself from Blaine’s arms without making it too obvious, trying to change the subject and break the spell before they really got into trouble. “Maybe we could rest for a while with the boys”

“Oh, ok” Blaine sounded a bit disappointed, and Sam hated that, but he knew he was doing the right thing. At least he hoped so.

“Where the hell are they?” Sam asked, searching the sitting area with his eyes and not seeing them anywhere.

“I don’t know. Maybe they went outside” Blaine suggested. “Maybe we should go out and look for them?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. It’s too hot in here anyway” Sam replied, without thinking of the implications of what he had just said, eliciting an amused smile from Blaine.

**********

Once outside, there was no trace of the boys either and Sam started wondering if they had seen the two of them on the dance floor and had left the place livid with anger at him.

“So they are not here either” Blaine stated the obvious.

“I’ll text them to let them know we are here. Is getting quite late anyway” Sam asked as he took his phone out of his pocket.

Blaine remained silent as Sam wrote a message –sending it to Mike instead of Sebastian, not wanting to make it look as if he was rubbing in that he was with Blaine and Sebastian wasn’t–, his back to Sam, just looking ahead of him, deep in thought.

When Sam finished and hid his phone in his pocket again, he turned his gaze towards Blaine and he could clearly see that he was struggling with the cold, due to the thin jacket he was wearing, and he couldn’t stand seeing him in any kind of discomfort, so he instinctively threw his arms around him from behind in which he hoped would look as a friendly gesture and wrapped him up in a strong embrace around his chest.

“Are you cold?” Sam asked, knowing it was a stupid question as it was quite clear that he was, but he didn’t want Blaine to think there could be further motivation for his embrace than making him warm.

“Quite cold, actually” Blaine answered with a little smile as his face turned around a little to look at Sam, not uncomfortable at all with having Sam’s arms around him and the proximity of his body to his own –in fact, he looked quite pleased with it.

Sam just returned his smile and then proceeded to rub Blaine’s arms vigorously to get some warmth into him, unconsciously resting his cheek to the side of Blaine’s head, in a gesture that seemed too intimate for two friends but that neither one of them felt uncomfortable with.

“What were you thinking, going out with just this jacket at this hour, you silly?” Sam asked him a little too tenderly.

“It was hardly a decision to make, it’s the only one I have” Blaine answered honestly, before he could stop himself. He didn’t want to talk about his situation at all, but somehow Sam always made him feel at ease and lower his guard.

“Really? How come?” Sam asked, bewildered. He wasn’t someone who had a lot of anything, he even had had to work all summer to have some cash for himself, as his parents couldn’t afford to give him much money. But he had never been deprived of the most basic things, like a good jacket.

“Well, when I moved here I couldn’t bring many things with me” Blaine responded, not giving any more details about it.

“Well, you should ask your parents to buy you a good jacket, that’s for sure. Winter is just around the corner, and it gets pretty cold here” Sam suggested, not having let go of Blaine for a second, so he could sense how his muscles tensed at the mention of his parents.

“I don’t see that happening...” Blaine mumbled to himself, but Sam, being that close to him, heard him perfectly well.

“Why not?” Sam couldn’t keep himself from asking. Everything about Blaine felt important to him and the change in Blaine’s mood told him that was a serious issue.

“Well... I don’t think my father will want to spend the little money he has in clothes for me, that’s all” Blaine confessed, his face blushing with embarrassment. “Especially if he needs it to cover his own needs”

The venom in Blaine’s voice at talking about his father immediately alerted Sam something was not going as it should in Blaine’s life, and he unconsciously strengthened his embrace on him, as if wanting to protect him against whatever it was that was hurting him.

He was about to ask him to explain further about his father when the other three boys appeared behind them and Sebastian cleared his throat noisily, obviously wanting to make his presence noticed.

“So... what’s going on here?” Sebastian asked.

“We... were looking for you guys” Sam answered hesitantly as he immediately let go of Blaine, hoping against hope the warmth he felt on his cheeks didn’t mean he was blushing.

“Kind of a strange place to look for us, considering we were inside” Sebastian answered, and Sam could hear the suspicion on his voice.

“We couldn’t find you and we thought you would be here. That’s why I texted Mike”

“Well, guys” Blaine interrupted, not knowing what was going on but sensing something strange was happening and having the horrible feeling that somehow he was a part of it –why else would Sam always distance himself from him when the others were around. “Thank you for everything, but I really need to get going”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Sebastian offered, as kindly as he was able due to his obvious bad mood.

“No, thank you, I live very near from here. I had a great time. Bye, guys” Blaine told them, and went away, making Sam feel incredibly empty at not receiving a special treatment in Blaine’s goodbye –though feeling relieved at the same time.

As the four of them started walking, Sam could feel the tension amongst them, even though Puck and Mike kept talking and trying to lighten up the atmosphere. He felt he was getting into a path with no way out. And he was falling more and more for that sweet, shy and complex boy who had entered their lives only a few weeks ago and had turned them upside down without even trying. And things were going to get worse before they got better, he was sure of that.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam smiled as he made his way towards the school, feeling strangely happy considering it was Monday and he was definitely not a morning person. He looked down at the bag he was carrying in his hand and smiled again. He doubted he had ever had a greater idea, or at least an idea that had made him feel better.

He would like to lie to himself and say it had been a hard decision to make, but he knew it was not true. As soon as the idea had crossed his mind, the decision was made. It didn’t even had anything to do with his feelings for Blaine: it was just about helping a friend in need. Well, maybe it had a little to do with it. Okay, a lot. But he was not doing it to achieve anything or to make himself look good to Blaine’s eyes. He was doing it just for him. Because he wanted him to be okay.

When Sam made it to the school, pretty early on purpose to get Blaine alone if possible, a smile broke again in his lips at finding Blaine already there, sitting on the stairs, deeply engrossed in a book. No wonder he was so intelligent, Sam thought, he surely developed his mind whenever he had the chance.

“Morning” Sam greeted him when he reached him, and Blaine immediately raised his gaze at the sound of his voice, a tender smile already on his lips.

“Hey, Sam” he answered, obviously not bothered about having been interrupted on his reading.

“Em… Blaine, could I talk to you for a second?” Sam asked him, making a gesture with his hand for Blaine to follow him.

“Sure” Blaine answered with a bit of surprise, immediately following Sam to a more secluded place.

“I wanted to give you something” Sam told him, producing a package that he deposited in Blaine’s hands. “I know what you are going to say, but I warn you I won’t take no for an answer, so… here you are”

Blaine looked at him hesitantly, not really know what to do or think.

“But… what is this?” he asked.

“Usually people open the present to know what it is” Sam joked, grabbing Blaine’s hand to bring it to the package so he could start tearing the paper, but Blaine resisted.

“But why?”

“Will you please open it?” Sam insisted in mock exasperation.

Blaine finally obeyed and carefully unwrapped the paper, revealing a beautiful deep red jacket, which looked very warm and perfect for the upcoming winter. When he saw the content, Blaine could only gasp in amazement, and immediately after that he started shaking his head and trying to make Sam grab the jacket again.

“You’re crazy! I can’t take it! There’s no way I can accept this” Blaine denied, trying to leave the jacket again in Sam’s arms.

“What part of ‘I won’t take no for an answer” didn’t you understand?” Sam joked, without having any intention of grabbing the jacket.

“But this is a very expensive jacket! I can’t let you spend that much money on me!” Blaine protested.

“I didn’t buy it, the truth is I already had it, and from a long time ago. But I’ve bought another one for myself, so I won’t be using that one that much anymore, and you need it more than I do, so…”

“I don’t think you’ve used it that much, it looks too new to me”

“That’s because I take good care of my things. But I guarantee you if you don’t keep it, it will end up locked up in the closet most of the time, so…”

“I don’t know…” Blaine hesitated, but Sam took it from his hands and started throwing it around Blaine’s shoulders, forcing him to put it on.

“Let’s see how it looks on you, and then you decide, ok?” Sam told him as he practically dressed Blaine with it, and the latter could only allow him to do it. “There. I was afraid it would look too big on you, but it’s perfect. Dark red really suits you, you know, it accentuates the color of your eyes. So I guess you don’t have much of an option”

Blaine had to chuckle at Sam’s insistence and convincing tricks, and he didn’t try to take the jacket off again –mostly because Sam’s hands were strategically on his arms so he couldn’t take it off–, which Sam took as a guarantee that Blaine was keeping the jacket.

“I’m glad your good sense and my persuasion skills finally kicked in” Sam joked, tenderly squeezing Blaine’s arms before letting go of them.

“Why did you do something like that?” Blaine asked, bewildered about Sam’s kindness.

“Well, I was not going to let you freeze if I could do something about it, was I? Someone has to take care of you if your family doesn’t”

“I will never be able to thank you enough for this”

“It’s just a jacket, it’s not that big a deal” Sam tried to dismiss him.

“It’s not only a jacket, it’s your jacket. And I didn’t mean just that. You know nothing about me, but you are willing to help me with everything. I’ve only known you for some weeks and you’ve been there for me more than my… more than anyone else. You’re a wonderful person, Sam. And I’ll never match up to you, not in a million years” Blaine told him regretfully, which broke Sam’s heart to the point he felt forced to put his arm around Blaine to offer some kind of physical comfort.

“Look, you’re right about something: I want to help you, in any way I can. I know there’s something making you unhappy, and I think I know you enough by now to know it’s not about the money. I would like to help you in whatever it is that worries you. I would like to help you so much… But I’m not going to press you to tell me, nor I’m going to get upset if you don’t. I just want you to know that… I’m here, okay? Whenever you need”

Blaine gulped, trying to keep the tears that were threatening to fall at bay, for it was not the place nor the time to burst out crying. He wanted to tell Sam how grateful he was, how nobody had ever made something like that for him before, how he thought Sam was the best person he had ever met… But there was no way he was going to be able to talk without his voice shaking or without the tears falling. Not that Sam seemed to mind, as he could well read the emotion in his eyes.

“And I don’t want to hear you ever again saying you can’t match up to me, because that’s not true. If you could see how special you are…” Sam assured him with a squeeze to Blaine’s shoulder.

“Hey, guys” a voice interrupted their conversation before Blaine could answer, and both of them turned around to find Mike and Puck there.

“Morning” Blaine answered as happily as he could muster, trying to hide how emotional he was feeling.

“Hey, Blaine, new jacket?” Mike, who had a big interest in fashion, asked.

“Well, not exactly new, Sam gave it to me. Isn’t he great?” he answered with a hint of pride in his voice as he looked at his friend.

“Hey, Sam, isn’t that the jacket…?” Puck started to ask, but Sam didn’t let him finish.

“Yep, that’s the one. Shouldn’t we just be getting inside? The classes are about to start” Sam interrupted, hoping it wasn’t too obvious how much he was trying to change the subject.

“Well, if Sam is worrying about being late, then it must be really late” Mike joked, as he started going up the stairs towards the building, and Blaine followed him, laughing. Sam was about to follow them too when Puck grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

“Listen, bro. I don’t know what’s going on between you and Blaine, and don’t even try to tell me _nothing_ ” Puck warned him, almost whispering so as not to be heard, when he saw Sam about to protest. “I’m not telling you what to do, but I’m warning you to be careful, or everything could end up getting out of hand”

“Look, Puck, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Blaine and I are just friends...” Sam tried, but he could see Puck was not buying it.

“Please, don’t take me for a fool. I can see all this chemistry between you two, and I’m not telling you it’s a bad thing or that you should forget it. I’m just asking you to do things right: if you’re really interested in Blaine, you should come clean with Sebastian before he finds out for himself”

“I can’t do this to him. He’s my best friend” Sam answered, not bothering to hide his feelings anymore.

“So is it better to do it behind his back? Because the moment will come when you won’t be able to resist it anymore. I can see it. Just... think about it, dude” Puck advised him sympathetically, as he patted his shoulder on their way in.

**********

Sam spent the first hour at class just thinking about what Puck had said. Puck could be a pain in the ass sometimes and he surely wasn’t known for giving a lot of thought to matters of feelings, but Sam knew he was much wiser than people gave him credit for. And he knew he was right. Deep down he knew, but he wasn’t ready to accept it yet. He had always considered himself a good friend, and taken a lot of pride in it. And Sebastian was not a mere friend: he had known him since they were little kids, and they had always shared everything. He was his best friend.

But then there was Blaine... Never before had he felt like that towards anybody else. Due to his shyness and lack of confidence in himself, he had never been able to get along with someone as nicely and fast before, and no one had been able to awaken those feelings of tenderness and happiness and protectiveness in him that Blaine provoked. Blaine was sweet, kind and warm, and he made him feel at ease and trust himself like no one did. He knew Blaine got the best of him, and without even trying. Would he be able to renounce to everything Blaine made him feel? And for Sebastian, who didn’t seem to have a real interest in Blaine beyond scoring a goal because Blaine was so incredibly hot?

But before he could come with an answer, he was brought back from his daydream by a gentle nudge to his ribs.

“Daydreaming again?” Blaine asked him with a smile, to which Sam could only respond with another one to match.

“You must think I’m pathetic....” Sam answered, a little embarrassed that once again Blaine had found him lost in his own thoughts instead of paying attention in class.

“No, I just think your inner world must be really interesting to keep you that absorbed. What I would give to be a part of it...” Blaine told him, with another smile, before going back to his notebook and continuing with his notes.

Okay, that was flirting, wasn’t it? Or was he just being nice? Sam had no doubt that Blaine was really fond of him –he always made sure to let him know–, but to which level? As a good friend or…?

Well, it didn’t matter, did it? Because nothing could happen between them. If he was able to resist, of course.

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to win his affections for yourself instead of helping me” Sebastian, who was sitting at his other side, told him all of a sudden, carefully whispering so Blaine wouldn’t hear. He had arrived just in time for the class, but he had immediately noticed about the jacket resting on Blaine’s chair.

“You know I would never do that” Sam said, sounding unconvincing even to himself.

“Wouldn’t you? You seem to have become the most generous person on Earth, all of a sudden”

“I just wanted to do something good, that’s all. I wasn’t trying to win his heart or anything, I know the interest you have in him. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be his friends, right? He looks like he could use some of them. And he really needed a jacket”

“Yes, that’s true. I’m happy to have him in our group, of course. But I could have bought a jacket for him instead of you to earn some points, if you had told me”

“I... I didn’t think about it” Sam honestly answered, as he had only been thinking about Blaine’s welfare, and not Sebastian’s expectations, when he had decided to give him his jacket. “The important thing is he now has a jacket, isn’t it? If you like him, you will be happy he’s okay, won’t you? I’m just trying to be a good friend”

“Yeah, ok, just remember the limits of friendship” Sebastian warned him, and Sam wasn’t sure if he was referring to Blaine, or to their own friendship.

**********

“Hey, mum” Sam greeted his mother when he made it home later that day, exhausted after a long day of pretending not to be falling in love with his best friend’s love interest.

“Hello, sweetheart” she answered kindly, as her son bent over to kiss her cheek. “How was your day?”

“Not so good, mum. You know the red jacket you and dad gave me for my birthday? I lost sight of it for a second and it disappeared. I guess someone stole it” Sam tried to sound convincing. He hated lying to his mother, but he knew she would never understand.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry! And to think how much you had to wait for us to be able to afford it and how you paid for half of it! And you loved it so much!”

“Yeah, it’s a pity” Sam feigned feeling sad and frustrated about it. “I’ll go to my room now, I’ve got to study”

“Ok, honey. That new boy who’s helping you with your studies surely is a good influence on you. You had never studied so much before” Mary told him, and Sam had to suppress a smile at how accurate her words were. His mother had no idea how much of a difference Blaine made in his life...

**********

Even after a while at home, Blaine had still not had the heart to take off that beautiful jacket Sam had so generously giving him. It was really gorgeous, he doubted he had ever had such a beautiful one. But that was not the important thing about it. Even if it had been the most horrible piece of clothing in the world, to Blaine it would still have been wonderful. Because it had been Sam’s. And he had given it to him.

As he looked at his own reflection in the mirror –and yeah, maybe it looked just a tiny bit too big on him, though he couldn’t care less because Sam had said it looked perfect–, he noticed something itching in the back of his neck, and he brought his hand to it to see what it was. He pulled at the offensive cardboard to look at it and his eyes opened impossibly wide when he discovered what it was: a price tag. Which undoubtedly meant that the jacket was new and Sam had never ever used it.

Even if Blaine felt he should be angry at the fact that Sam had lied to him, only a smile could make its way across Blaine’s lips at what his friend had done for him, almost unable to believe someone could be so good to him even if he had done nothing to deserve it.

His heart threatening to go out of his chest, so hard it was beating, Blaine wrapped the jacket closer around his body, as if doing that he was really embracing its previous owner, and for the first time in a long time he felt loved. And he liked that feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, you guys, I need to know your opinion on something: as you know this story is kind of a rewrite of an old story of mine. Well, I’m now thinking about rewriting another one of my old stories for blam. It’s an action/drama (very very dramatic) multi-chaptered fic about blam being caught in the middle of a robbery. What do you think? Could it be interesting?
> 
> And another question: if I do it, do you think it would be ok to set it on the “A long race” universe, now they were finally happy-ever-after? Or it would be better to create a new universe altogether?
> 
> Please, let me know your opinions! They will be so appreciated!!


	6. Chapter 6

Sam sighed, tired of trying to keep the concentration in class when so many things were trying to invade his mind and keep it occupied. Like Blaine’s sweet smile. Or Blaine’s dorky laughter. Or Blaine’s multicolored eyes. Or Blaine’s proximity, he noticed, as the boy’s hand accidentally bumped the blond’s arm when writing at the bottom of his notebook.

“Sorry” Blaine told him with that ridiculously heart-melting smile of him, before immediately returning to his notes, leaving Sam smiling goofily on his own.

Sam’s gaze turned once again to the jacket hanging from the back of Blaine’s chair, and a big feeling of pride filled his chest until he couldn’t almost breathe properly. He had been the one giving it to him, and now Blaine cherished it. And Blaine seemed happier since he had it, and Sam knew that joy had little to do with the fact he was not going to be cold anymore. He knew he had done a lot of good with his decision of giving it to him, and he hadn’t regretted it for a second, even if he was wearing the same jacket he had wore last winter, and the winter before that, because of it.

“You okay?” he heard Blaine ask him while he was packing his things in his back a little while later. “The class is over and you haven’t jumped from your chair, as usual” Blaine added, only half joking as he seemed honestly worried about him.

“Yes, yes, I was just so deep in thought I hadn’t realized it was over” Sam answered, a little embarrassed.

“Ah, daydreaming again” Blaine joked. “It must be your favorite hobby”

“Just every now and then” Sam joked back. “Hey, listen, we could go and have a bit of fresh air before the next class, don’t you think?” he offered, knowing Blaine was not one to stay indoors for too long and gosh, why couldn’t he stop thinking about Blaine’s needs even for a second?

“I’d love to, but I have to go to the copy place for a second. Maybe we could meet afterwards”

“What do you have to do?”

“I wanted to photocopy my maths notes, so you can have them for tomorrow’s studying session. I’ve observed yours are not that organized...” Blaine told him gently, hoping he would not be offended by that.

“What? No, mate, there’s no need for that” Sam told him, gratefully.

“Believe me, there is” Blaine joked, and Sam found he could only smile at him.

“Okay, but you don’t have to do it. I’ll photocopy them myself”

“Not in a million years, it’s the least I can do after the whole jacket affair. And I can still pay for some photocopies, don’t worry. I’ll meet you at the front stairs in like five minutes, if you want”

“Yeah, sure” Sam readily agreed, as there was no way he was going to say no to some time alone with that… angel. “And thanks”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s me who has to thank you about so many things...” Blaine told him honestly.

“And you do. You keep doing it all the time” Sam reprimanded him gently, eliciting a small smile from him.

“That’s because you deserve it” Blaine answered and turned away before Sam could add anything else.

Sam just stood there, looking at the class door for a few seconds even after Blaine had already disappeared, until he let go a long sigh and a goofy smile appeared at his face, when thinking about him. That’s when he heard Puck’s voice singing softly but close enough to his ear so he would hear.

“Love is in the air everywhere I look around...” he sang, pretending not to do it for Sam to hear, until Sam clobbered him playfully around the back of his head. “What?” he asked, feigning surprise.

“You’re a nuisance, you know?” Sam told him, only half joking, and Puck grinned at him, satisfied about having made his point.

Sam didn’t bother waiting for an answer and just packed his things on his bag and went out of the classroom, deciding to go to the cafeteria to grab a sandwich before making his way to Blaine. To the stairs, he meant. Gosh, Puck was right: he was really falling in love with Blaine. And the worst part was that he seemed to be falling for him too. The worst part, had he said? That should have been wonderful, right? In other circumstances he would be jumping with joy. But not like this, not with Sebastian in their way, unaware of what was really happening. If Sebastian lost his chance with Blaine, and because of his best friend on top of that... That would be too hard a blow for him, and Sam couldn’t do that to him. But it was getting more and more difficult to stop the growing feelings between him and that wonderful creature Blaine was. What if Puck was right, and it came the day when he wouldn’t be able to resist anymore? What a crap!

When he arrived to the front stairs, he found Blaine was already there, waiting for him, a contented smile on his face. Sam’s heart warmed at seeing him in such at ease, relaxed, even happy. Especially because he knew it was partly because of him that Blaine was feeling like this. Maybe he should start contemplating the idea of talking to Sebastian seriously about it all. He would get angry at first for sure, but maybe he would understand in the end... After all, he was his best friend, maybe Sam should give him some credit.

Speaking of Sebastian, Sam was stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Sebastian reaching Blaine first and sitting at his side. He thought about going to them and interrupting them –in fact, Blaine was waiting for him, wasn’t he?– but decided not to in the last moment. Sebastian deserved at least the chance to know Blaine better too, after all. Maybe Blaine would like him in the end. He was not sure he would be able to stand it if that happened, though.

So he just stood there, a little away from them so as not be seen, but trying not to miss a thing of what went between them, even if he had to strain to hear them.

“Hi, Blaine” Sebastian greeted him. “Mind if I sit here with you for a while?”

“Of course not” Blaine answered with his usual politeness, even offering a shy smile that Sam could swear didn’t reach his eyes.

“I thought maybe you wanted to know a little bit more about the band”

“I’d love to!” Blaine answered enthusiastically, and Sam smiled in spite of himself at seeing him so excited. Maybe Sebastian could do him some good, after all.

“Well, we don’t really have a name yet, but we take it quite seriously. I do most of the writing of the songs, but Mike and Puck are learning and helping more and more every day. We have quite a number of songs, actually”

“And Sam?” Blaine couldn’t help but to ask, and Sam’s chest swelled with pride at that.

“He can play the guitar and he is great with harmonies and stuff, and lately he’s quite gone into writing too. But tell me, apart from your beautiful voice, do you play any instruments?”

“I don’t know about my voice being as you say...” Blaine answered, a bit embarrassedly. “But yes, I can play the guitar too, though what I love the most is the piano”

“That’s great! None of us are really any good with the keyboards, and you and I can take turns with the singing”

“I would love to. I could even help Sam with the writing, I’ve done it before, although I’m sure I won’t be as good as you”

“Oh, he can do it by himself, like I always do. But if you want to bring any songs you’ve written...”

“I think Sam would like for us to work together. It’s always better when you can discuss every word and chord and share ideas” Blaine suggested excitedly. “We get along nicely when I tutor him, you know? And if you say you prefer working alone...”

“Yeah, that’s another option” Sebastian answered, not quite happy with the idea, and Sam had to chuckle about that. Blaine was a stubborn little cuss, wasn’t he?

“I’m so excited about this. I can’t thank you enough for letting me be a part of it” Blaine told him, gratefully. “We’re going to have so much fun”

“Yes, it will be a blast” Sebastian answered as he rested his hand in Blaine’s thigh, surprising the latter quite visibly, and then leant over towards Blaine’s face with the intention of capturing his lips.

“What are you doing, Sebastian?” Blaine asked as he leant backwards to avoid Sebastian, astonished.

“Well, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Sebastian answered with a mischievous smile as he once again leant over aiming for Blaine’s lips.

“No, Sebastian, stop” Blaine said, gently but firmly as he stood up, unconsciously trying to put some distance between them. “I’m very sorry if I ever made you believe in any way that I wanted more from you than your friendship, but it was not my intention. I didn’t know about your feelings, I surely wasn’t expecting that”

“Come on, don’t act so surprised, why do you think I’ve been all over you all these weeks, inviting you everywhere, making sure to include you in everything?” Sebastian asked a little too impertinently, as he stood up too.

“I thought you wanted to be nice, to be my friend” Blaine explained, obviously upset, not liking where this conversation was going.

“Well, not exactly, I’m not that altruistic”

“Oh, ok, then I’m sorry for thinking you appreciated me” Blaine answered sarcastically, deeply hurt by how easy it was for Sebastian to admit how little he cared about him.

“I do, that’s why I want you. Come on, it’s not like I’m asking you to marry me, I’m sure you also like having a good time” Sebastian insisted, once again leaning over Blaine until their lips met for a second, unintentionally pinning Blaine against the wall, making him feel trapped against his will. An irrational fear invaded Blaine’s heart at finding himself cornered and he did the only thing he felt capable of: he pushed Sebastian away from him, a little more forcefully that he would have wanted, almost making him fall to the floor.

“I said no!” Blaine angrily yelled. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Ok, I crossed the line here, I’m sorry” Sebastian apologized, surprised at Blaine’s anger.

“You have no right to make me do anything against my will, kissing you or anything else!” Blaine continued yelling, practically on the verge of hysterics, and his anger was so strong that Sebastian thought he had gone mental as they were attracting quite a few gazes on them at the scene.

“Maybe I was a little too insistent, but I didn’t mean to force you into anything, I swear” Sebastian justified himself, trying to calm him down.

Blaine’s anger seemed to disappear as swiftly as it had appeared, and suddenly he looked so lost and repentant that Sam had to use all his willpower not to run to him and embrace him. Sam had seen everything, and a rush of emotions had travelled through his body: jealousy, when Sebastian’s lips had made contact with Blaine’s; anger, at seeing Sebastian insisting too much when it was so clear Blaine was not willing; and then worry about Blaine, who seemed pretty lost right now. Sam had been very close to intervene, but had decided against it for the sake of everybody. And Blaine surely knew how to defend himself, that was clear to see.

“I’m sorry too” Blaine apologized for his outburst in a whisper, and turned around to walk away from everyone staring at him and from Sebastian, leaving him there, totally thunderstruck at the turn of events and wondering if what he had done had been so bad as to anger Blaine that much.

Sam needed to make sure Blaine was okay, for Blaine’s sake and for his own. That’s why he decided to follow him and, to do it, he had to walk by Sebastian. He didn’t try to go unnoticed, taking his time in his walking for Sebastian to see him and then he looked at him with an indefinable expression on his eyes, one Sebastian did not know how to read for the first time since he knew him. He didn’t know what Sam was thinking, but it was clear he knew about what had happened, so Sebastian felt the need to justify himself with his best friend.

“I didn’t mean to...” Sebastian started, but Sam didn’t let him finish. He was feeling too angry right now to confront him, and he didn’t want to initiate a discussion he might regret later.

“Yet you did it” Sam replied, with a venom in his voice Sebastian found hard to assimilate, not even bothering to stop walking.

“I thought he was into it too!” Sebastian replied to Sam’s retreating back, but Sam chose to ignore it –there was no way he could reply to that without punching the lights out of Sebastian’s face.

It was not hard for Sam to find Blaine, as he had seen him hide away in the same place several times now, in a secluded part of the schoolyard not so crowded as the front part and half hidden behind some trees. He was just sitting there, his arms around his knees, his head resting on top of them, his gaze lost. Sam’s heart was breaking at seeing him like that, and he felt he had to do something about it.

“Blaine?” Sam asked, tentatively, not sure if Blaine would appreciate his company.

Blaine didn’t say anything or even lift his gaze to let Sam know he had heard him, but after a couple of seconds he grabbed his bag from his side and moved it away as an invitation for Sam to sit at his side.

“Are you alright?” Sam asked as he sat down at his side, warmly, trying to make Blaine feel he didn’t need to be afraid or insecure around him.

Blaine only nodded, not ready for words yet.

“Are you sure?” Sam insisted gently, but Blaine didn’t answer.

“Did you see it?” Blaine finally spoke, after a full minute of silence.

“Yes, I did” Sam knew there was no point in denying it.

“You must think I’m crazy” Blaine said with regret, as he shook his head.

“No, of course not” Sam denied immediately. Nothing further from the truth.

“Sometimes even I think I am” Blaine whispered.

“You are not” Sam answered in a soft voice, though he made sure to sound confident enough so as not to leave room for argument. “I think you just reacted the only way you knew to something you didn’t like. I would have probably done the same”

“I didn’t like that” Blaine agreed in a whisper. “I’m tired of people always thinking they have the right to do whatever they want”

“Sebastian didn’t really want to force you into anything” Sam tried to defend his best friend because, although he didn’t like how Sebastian had acted at all, he was sure he hadn’t want to hurt Blaine or take advantage of him.

“He should have stopped when I said no”

“Yes, he should have” Sam admitted reluctantly.

“He has no control over me” Blaine told him, and Sam could have sworn to notice some fear in Blaine’s voice.

“Of course not” Sam was quick to reassure him.

“You would have never done something like that” Blaine told him, and Sam knew it was not a question, but a statement.

“No” he simply denied.

“That’s why you are the only person I can trust”

“What about your family?”

“No. I can only trust you” Blaine told him, and he rested his head on Sam’s shoulder with a sadness that broke Sam’s heart, so the only thing he could do was to put his own arm around Blaine’s waist in a half embrace, hoping to offer him some kind of comfort.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, in silence, but Sam was glad to feel the tension slowly leaving Blaine’s muscles. They were hidden to some extent behind a couple of trees, but Sam knew they could be easily seen, in their tender embrace, if someone decided to pass by. If Sebastian decided to pass by. But Sam suddenly found he didn’t care that much anymore. After what had happened, he was sure Sebastian had lost every chance with Blaine –if he had ever had one–. And he didn’t deserve it anyway, after the way he had acted. Screw him, let him see. He only cared about Blaine’s welfare right now.

“I’ve got no family” Blaine explained, all off a sudden, and Sam had to strain to hear him even if his head was just inches away from Blaine’s. “It’s only my father and me now”

“What about your mother?” Sam asked, as he unconsciously began stroking Blaine’s back rhythmically, trying to offer some comfort at the same time that he encouraged him to talk. After all, it was the first time Blaine was willingly talking about himself, and Sam wanted to know everything, even if he suspected he wasn’t going to like it.

“She passed away at the beginning of the summer. That’s why I moved here” Blaine explained in a voice void of all emotion, even if Sam could almost heart the sound of his heart breaking.

“Oh, Blaine, I’m so sorry” Sam told him as he squeezed Blaine’s body more strongly to his side, his own head coming to rest over the brunet’s. He felt genuinely sorry and devastated for him, and he wished there was a way for him to make Blaine feel better. “But you still have your father, right?”

“My father and I don’t get along. He didn’t want me here”

“He’s your father, of course he wanted you here. Maybe you two don’t get along that well, as you say, but I’m sure he’s glad to have you here” Sam said, not able to conceive it any other way.

“No, he’s not. He makes sure to tell me every now and then so I don’t forget” Blaine explained with the same dull tone of his voice that told Sam how much he was really trying to control his emotions.

Sam closed his eyes with force to avoid any tears rolling down his cheeks at Blaine’s words. He had always been incredibly lucky as to live in a loving and caring family, and it was very difficult for him to understand a parent not wanting their child. But he knew Blaine was telling the truth, he was sure of it, and it was easy to see how painful it was to him.

“And you don’t have anybody else?”

“I have an older brother Cooper, but after my mum died he fled. He didn’t want to live with our father, obviously, and as he was of age he just went away without looking back. I haven’t known anything about him since”

“He hasn’t even called?” Sam asked in total astonishment. He was an older brother himself and he totally adored his siblings, he couldn’t even imagine himself leaving them like that under any circumstance.

“No” Blaine answered with a long sigh, and Sam could easily see that part was the one that hurt him the most. “As much as he hates out father he is not that different from him. He didn’t show any remorse at leaving me alone with him, even if he knew I didn’t want to come. And I guess my father prefers it that way, so he only has to have one of us with him. He has to have me because I don’t have anyone else to take me in, he has the legal obligation, but he would get rid of me in a heartbeat if he could. But he won’t have to bear with me for very long, I’m going away forever the second I turn eighteen, less than a year from now”

“I hope you don’t go too far” Sam pleaded, feeling incredibly selfish for thinking about himself in a moment like that, but he couldn’t imagine his life without Blaine anymore, and just the mere idea of losing him was so painful…

“And why wouldn’t I?” Blaine asked, rhetorically, as he lifted his head from Sam’s shoulder. “There’s nothing keeping me here. I am alone. I thought I had found a nice bunch of mates and now, on top of everything, Sebastian just throws at my face how he never wanted to be my friend in the first place. Do you know how that made me feel? Like I was just a shit. Like it was my destiny to be alone...”

“You’re not alone, you hear me?” Sam sternly said while grabbing on Blaine’s shoulders and gently shaking him to make a point, though being very careful so as not to be tough and send him into a panic again. “Not in a million years. You have me, even if you don’t have anybody else. And I’m going to be there for you. Always, I swear”

Blaine looked at him, right in the eye, as if trying to decide how much truth there was in Sam’s words, and finally he smiled sadly at him.

“Maybe... maybe you can come with me when I leave” he suggested, and then he rested his head in Sam’s shoulder again, much more relaxed.

The happiness that invaded Sam at Blaine’s words was immense. Not only Blaine acknowledged Sam’s presence in his life, but he was asking him to be a part of it. He could only squeeze Blaine more strongly against his own body and once again he rested his own head on top of Blaine’s, when suddenly he remembered something.

“Will you share this sandwich with me? I don’t think I can eat it all” Sam said, already splitting it before he even got an answer.

“Please, I’ve seen you eat much more than that even when you were claiming not to be hungry” Blaine joked, though he accepted the half sandwich Sam was offering to him.

“Maybe. But don’t you think everything just tastes better when you get to share it?” Sam told him, and Blaine’s answer was a small, but full of love, smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Blaine looked at his watch and sighed. He really couldn’t wait any longer to leave home if he wanted to get to the school in time, but he sure wasn’t feeling like it. He was being careful to leave as late as he could so as to arrive just in time for the class to start, with no time to spare before it. He didn’t want to take the risk of meeting Sebastian –he was feeling both furious at him and embarrassed about his own reaction– and having to talk to him, it would be too awkward and he didn’t feel he was ready to forgive and forget just yet. That considering that Sebastian would apologize, because he had made it perfectly clear that he was not interested in him as a friend, anyway.

And he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face Sam either, after the way he had opened his heart to him and explained so many things he had never had the intention of sharing. Although he had felt extremely grateful to him at the time, because his patience and the tender comfort he had offered had warmed his heart and made him feel better, now he felt as he was exposed, as if Sam knew too much about him and his defenses had been destroyed. He didn’t like being that vulnerable, and Sam had clearly made his way with his kindness through the protective wall he had built around himself. And Blaine hadn’t decided yet if that was a good thing.

So it was quite a surprise when he finally climbed down the stairs of his building to reach the street, and he found Sam just standing there, obviously waiting for him and apparently getting a little impatient.

“Finally! I was going to call you now, I was fearing you might have already left before I arrived!” Sam said in only one breath, as he approached him, and smiled warmly at him. “May it be that the first time I’m really late for class is all your fault? Everything’s turning upside down! Good morning, by the way”

“Good morning” Blaine answered, with a smile to match and chuckling at his antics. “What are you doing here?” he asked, although there was no need: it was obvious Sam had come to pick him up to be with him, because he had understood Blaine’s reluctance to see Sebastian again without even telling him. Blaine’s hesitation about wanting to see Sam immediately vanished, though: it was okay to be vulnerable with Sam, because Sam understood. Because Sam never judged him. Because Sam would never use it against him.

“Selfish as I am, I thought I’d pick you up and we could revise for today’s language exam on our way. I don’t think I have it right under control...” Sam answered, and Blaine had to smile again at Sam’s ridiculous excuse. He was there for him, but would not say it so as not to make an issue of it, so as to spare Blaine the awkwardness after the events of the previous day. So as not to make Blaine feel he was weak and needed to be taken care of, Sam preferred to make it look like he was the one asking for a favor. He was jut generous like that.

“I was with you when you studied it, remember? I know you have it perfectly under control. But yeah, okay, let’s revise; it won’t do us any wrong, right?” Blaine answered, playing along with him.

And that’s how they spent their way to the school, lightly and playfully revising for the test they would have later on the day, all the while joking in a carefree way and enjoying each other’s company. And with all the fooling around they were faster than expected and they reached the school earlier that what Blaine had planned. It wasn’t until they were standing just below the front stairs when they noticed Sebastian, Puck and Mike standing on top of it, apparently talking about the exam too.

Sam saw how Blaine’s mood immediately changed and he tensed and sighed loudly, as if to gather strength to face Sebastian, and Sam hated the fact that it was Blaine having a bad time when he had done nothing to deserve it. Wanting to let him know he was there for him, he rested his hand on the small of Blaine’s back and gently pushed him through the door, making it clear they didn’t need to stop to make conversation, and to offer his silent support at the same time.

“Morning” Blaine mumbled as he passed by the three boys. He obviously didn’t want anything to do with Sebastian right now –he was not as hurt about the kissing thing as he was about Sebastian admitting he didn’t really care about him–, but the other boys hadn’t done anything to deserve his anger, they had always been great to him, so the least he could do was to say “hello” to them.

“Hello, boys” Sam greeted them too on his way in, only looking at Mike and Puck and making it clear his words were only directed to them.

“Ok, what the hell is happening here?” Puck asked to no one in particular when Sam and Blaine were well into the building, but then he saw the uncomfortable expression on Sebastian’s face, and guessed his friend knew something about it. “Seb?”

“I might have made them a bit angry at me yesterday” Sebastian answered, reluctantly.

“You don’t say!” Mike sarcastically replied. “What did you do, Sebastian?”

“I might have calculated wrong my chances with Blaine” Sebastian answered vaguely.

“What the hell does that mean?” Puck insisted, not liking at all where this conversation was going.

”I... I wanted to kiss Blaine and he didn’t like it that much” Sebastian confessed, only mumbling.

“And he got all angry just because of that?” Mike asked, not quite believing the story.

“I might have insisted a little too much, even after he said ‘no’” Sebastian admitted, a little embarrassed now that he had had time to think about it. “And then I told him I only had been being nice to him because I wanted that from him, not because I wanted to be his friend”

“I can’t believe you, Sebastian” Puck reproached him, and Sebastian could see he was angry. “I warned you about this, I asked you not to hurt him”

“I didn’t mean to! It just happened like that! I would have never thought he would get so angry, you should have seen him, he was out of his mind! I don’t think that boy is very right in his head, to tell you the truth”

“How typical of you, Seb, someone doesn’t agree with you and they have a problem! If it had been me, I would have punched you right on the face” Puck admonished him, and  then he turned out and stormed in, Mike close on his heels, leaving Sebastian there on his own without an option to say anything else.

**********

When Sebastian arrived to the classroom, he found Blaine and Sam were at their usual places, but Puck and Mike had moved to sit next to them, so all Sebastian had left was a seat next to Mike, the furthest away from Sam and Blaine. He knew that was their way of punishing him for his behavior, and suddenly he felt this was not going to be a good day.

And he wasn’t wrong. All through the morning anyone would hardly speak to him, only if directly asked. And Sebastian, who was used to being the centre of attention and kind of the leader of the group, was finding this very hard to accept. He was starting to deeply regret having talked to Blaine at all that very first day and including him in their lives. Everything had gotten more and more difficult since that day. Maybe deep down he knew he had brought that on himself, but he wasn’t yet ready to accept it. It was much easier to blame Blaine.

“Hey, boys” Sebastian told Puck and Mike once the last hour was over, knowing neither Blaine or Sam would want to be near him at the moment so he didn’t even bother to include them in the conversation. “Who’s feeling like going to our bar and playing some pool?”

“Not me” Puck answered curtly, without even bothering to look at Sebastian.

“Me neither, thanks” Mike answered, not as rudely as Puck, but firm enough.

“Oh, okay, I see what’s happening here. I need to be punished, right?” Sebastian asked them, clearly annoyed, and no one even tried to deny it. “Ok, suit yourselves. I’ll see you tomorrow”

Sebastian was surprised and disappointed that nobody even tried to stop him, so with all the dignity he could muster under the circumstances, he grabbed his bag and made his way out of the classroom, walking arrogantly as if he didn’t give a shit about anything.

Puck and Mike looked at each other, feeling a bit guilty about it, although they felt they were doing the right thing. Sebastian needed to understand he couldn’t go treating people like that, that they loved him but hated that part of him.

“Guys” Blaine told them, as he noticed their guilty expression. “I appreciate very much what you’re doing but... please, don’t. Don’t break your group and don’t lose such a precious friendship like this. Not for me”

“But Blaine, he told us what happened and... that was not right” Mike explained.

“No, maybe it wasn’t” Blaine agreed, but he tried to play the whole thing down. “But what happened between Sebastian and me... was exactly that, between him and me. I don’t want any of you getting angry at him, or not wanting to be his friend again on my behalf” he was feeling guilty enough about causing a rift between Sam and Sebastian, he didn’t want to include Mike and Puck in it too.

“But what he did...” Mike insisted.

“What he did was a mistake, alright, but that doesn’t mean he is a different person now than he was yesterday. He’s still your friend. And the last thing I would want is to come between a group of friends. If someone has to go away that would be me”

“No way!” Sam interrupted with a humorless laugh.

“No, Sam, that would be fair” Blaine insisted while tenderly laying his hand on Sam’s forearm. “You all have only known me for some weeks, Sebastian has been your friend for years”

“I don’t care. You’ll always come first” Sam mumbled, forgetting for a second that Puck and Mike were standing right at their side, and therefore missing the knowing look they shared.

“Look, let’s reach an agreement: we won’t stay angry at Sebastian, but you don’t disappear from the group either. How about that?” Mike suggested. He had come to like Blaine in those last weeks, and he knew Puck too, so they didn’t want to lose sight of him.

Blaine smiled, hesitantly at first, but then more openly. Maybe he had really found some good friends, after all.

“I’ll try” he promised, and both Mike and Puck smiled at him in return.

“Okay, then it’s settled. We’ll go and catch him and act as if nothing had happened. It’s a good thing, really, because the truth is I was dying to play some pool. Okay, Mike?” Puck joked, and Mike nodded enthusiastically.

So when Mike and Puck left, it was just Sam and Blaine in the classroom, with everyone else having already left. Blaine put his hand in his pocket and smiled when his hand made contact with what was inside. He had been keeping it there for a couple of days now, waiting for the opportune moment to give it back to his previous owner, and now it was a good moment before they went out and were surrounded by people again. Especially considering how great Sam had been to him –once again–, and how he needed to tell him thanks once again. He didn’t want Sam’s actions to go unnoticed, he wanted to acknowledge them.

“I’ve been wanting to give you something” Blaine told him with a small smile as he placed a cardboard on the table, in front of Sam, as the blond packed his things in his back.

“What’s this?” Sam asked, curiously.

“A little something I found hanging from the jacket you gave me” Blaine answered with a mischievous smile that forced Sam to pick the cardboard and look at it. The groan that escaped his throat when he discovered it was the price tack of the jacket that showed it had not been used made Blaine chuckle fondly. “So you lied to me” he told Sam, without a hint of reproach in his voice.

“I’m sorry” Sam apologized sincerely. “But you really needed a jacket, and I wanted to help you”

“But you didn’t have any obligation to do it. Or at least you could have given me your old jacket and keep this one”

“But I was sure it would look so great on you!” Sam replied without even thinking, and the tenderness of Blaine’s smile reached his gaze as he gave Sam an adoring look.

“Just as you didn’t have any obligation to side with me over your best friend”

“I meant what I said before: you will always come first”

Blaine felt so moved by Sam’s words that he couldn’t stop himself: he leant over on impulse and joined his lips with Sam’s in a chaste but revealing kiss, that was enough to speed Sam’s heart to the point where he could hear it beating, and he wondered if Blaine could hear it too. It almost wasn’t even a kiss, just their lips touching, but it was enough for Sam to know he wanted more, he needed more.

The kiss was over before he could even begin to enjoy it, and Sam realized Blaine was looking at him intently, eyes full of hope and something else Sam thought may be more than just affection. Before he could do something about it, a smile broke on his lips at the happiness it caused to know Blaine reciprocated his feelings, and Blaine took it as a cue that he was doing okay and leant over again to try for a deeper kiss.

His lips had only brushed Sam’s when a hand on his chest gently pushed him away, and he obeyed, surprised and confused.

“I... I can’t” Sam mumbled regretfully.

“Oh my God, I thought you wanted that” Blaine swiftly apologized. “I’m so sorry, Sam, I had not right to impose myself like that”

“No, no, you don’t understand...” Sam tried, because he didn’t want Blaine to feel bad, he wanted him to know there was nothing he desired more, but it couldn’t be.

“Please, forgive me” Blaine apologized again, and it deeply upset Sam to see how troubled Blaine looked at the thought he had gone over the line. “I can’t believe I did something like that! It won’t happen again, can’t we just forget it happened and go back to being friends?”

“I don’t think I will ever forget this” Sam answered honestly, still unable to believe that Blaine’s lips had touched his, but Blaine misunderstood the meaning of his words and his eyes glistened with unshed tears at what he considered a big mistake, breaking Sam’s heart in the process.

“I’m so sorry” he whispered shakily, and was about to turn around and fly out of the classroom when Sam gently grabbed his chin in an impulse and brought his face to his to join their lips together again, stopping Blaine from any further movement due to the astonishment he was feeling.

“I thought you couldn’t...” Blaine mumbled breathlessly once their lips parted, resting his forehead against Sam’s, but Sam shushed him as he caressed Blaine’s cheek with his knuckles.

“I thought I’d be able to resist, but I’m not. Blaine... I think... I think I’m falling in love with you” Sam, who had never been good with words and whose shyness usually kept him from sharing his most inner feelings with anyone, said confidently. But come on, that was Blaine, and Blaine always got the best of him.

Blaine smiled widely, not daring to believe his deepest wishes were becoming true, and he put his arms around Sam’s neck resolutely before making his own revelation.

“I’m so glad I’m not alone in this then, because I’m falling in love with you too”

Sam’s only answer was to capture his lips again in a deeper kiss, taking his time to savor Blaine’s lips as he brought his hands to Blaine’s waist in a gesture that suddenly seemed too intimate but too wonderful to be true.

With the knowledge and the security they were alone, Sam gently pushed Blaine to the wall without breaking the kiss and trapped him there with his own body, disbelieving of the fact that this was Blaine, the boy he had been dreaming with for weeks, and that he was as willing about it as he was. And his lips felt so warm and soft as he had imagined on countless occasions, maybe even more. He couldn’t wait to find out if the skin on Blaine’s neck was equally soft, so his own lips moved to check and he kissed Blaine’s jaw all along until he arrived to the side of his neck, his lips caressing the skin there slowly, until he elicited a soft moan from the curly-haired boy that told him he was doing things right, as did Blaine’s hand, tenderly stroking the back of his neck

But soon Blaine’s lips missed the contact with Sam’s, and Blaine grabbed Sam’s chin to make him lift his head again and captured his lips again in a searing kiss, enveloping his neck with his arms once again. Sam could still hardly believe this was happening, but instinct and desire took his arms to completely surround Blaine’s waist, brining his body even closer to his and holding him as strongly as he dared, as if he wanted for them to melt together.

They were so absorbed in each other that they failed to hear the knob moving and the door opening until the loud sound of someone clearing his throat filled the room, to which they separated instantly and tried to regain some dignity before daring to face the person doing the interruption.

“So I have to clean this classroom, boys” the cleaning lady told them, making a big effort not to smile tenderly at them. “I guess the class is over, isn’t it?”

“It sure is” Sam, having regained the talking ability first, answered after clearing his throat, while he took both their bags and gave Blaine his. “We were on our way out”

“That’s what I thought” she answered, standing with her arms crossed over her chest until they moved.

“Bye... and sorry” Blaine apologized, offering one of his best smiles, and she was obviously charmed by it.

“Bye, boys” she said as they went out of the classroom and she could finally start her job.

Once outside, Sam and Blaine were feeling the after-effects of such a bout of passion, both feeling a little embarrassed and very self-conscious. But in no way regretful. They looked at each other timidly and shared a shy smile, their faces still flushed, their lips red and swollen, and they didn’t let go of each other’s hand until they were well along the corridor.


	8. Chapter 8

When the next day at the school arrived, things between the friends had not changed that much: Mike and Puck had kept their part of their agreement with Blaine from the day before, and had forgiven Sebastian for his sins, forgetting them as if nothing had happened and trying to act as normally as they could, to which Sebastian was very grateful even if he wasn’t going to admit it.

To Sam and Blaine it was not that easy, though. With Blaine, it was obvious. It was not so much about the forced kiss, which would be reason enough to get angry, but about the fact he now knew how little he meant to Sebastian. It was hard for him to be friends with him now that he knew they had never been friends in the first place.

And with Sam... the reasons were not as obvious, but equally strong. Sebastian didn’t understand why Sam was so annoyed about something that didn’t have anything to do with him. Maybe he was disappointed in him? He surely seemed to have set himself up as Blaine’s protector, or something. Today it seemed like they couldn’t be away from each other for even a second. Sebastian knew Sam had a big heart, he probably felt Blaine needed a little support after everything that had happened and was just helping him until things got better. Yeah, that was probably it.

So the situation between the three of them had been filled with tension and empty of words for most of the day, being clearly uncomfortable for the five boys. Especially for Sebastian, who was not used to be treated like he was not the centre of attention.

When the classes were over for the day, he decided to find the way to normalize the situation. Maybe if he was nice and kind to them... Maybe it would be too much like begging, but he’d do it. After all, he had not acted right, he deserved a bit of a punishment, he guessed. So he took a can of coke he had in his bag and opened it, offering it to them before he even tasted it himself.

“Hey, guys. Do you want some coke?” Sebastian offered kindly while he approached the others, with the bad fortune of tripping in the last second and sending half the can’s content on Blaine’s t-shirt, making him jump from his chair. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Sebastian immediately apologized, feeling he could kick his own shin at his clumsiness right there and then. And it had to fall precisely on Blaine, right?

“It’s okay” Blaine immediately dismissed him, kindly enough, as he grabbed a paper tissue from his bag to try and clean himself up a bit.

Sebastian looked at Sam out of the corner of his eye and he could see his expression was totally unfriendly, so he knew had to change tactics and try harder.

“Hey, guys. I though today would be a good day to start introducing Blaine into our band, don’t you think?”

“Introducing him?” Mike asked.

“I mean, we have to start showing Blaine some of our songs... if he’s still interested in being part of the band” Sebastian added, hoping to get some answer out of him, but he was disappointed once again.

“Not today. We always stay at the library to study on Fridays, remember?” Sam answered in no uncertain terms.

“Oh, yeah. But you can skip a day, can’t you?”

“No, we can’t” Sam denied firmly. “This is important, you know?”

“Of course it is, you’re right” Sebastian agreed in a heartbeat, not wanting to upset anyone even further. “But you won’t be doing it all the afternoon, right? I mean, we could meet later. It’s Friday, after all”

“We don’t know how long it will take us” Sam replied, once again rejecting Sebastian’s offer.

“Oh... ok” Sebastian felt so disappointed that Blaine felt he had to intervene. After all, it was his fault that two best friends had had such a falling out, and if he could do something about it...

“But we can call you guys when we finish and see if it’s not too late, can’t we, Sam? Sebastian’s right, I have to get up to date with the band if I want to be a part of it” Blaine suggested as he looked at Sam with pleading eyes, and Sam found it was impossible for him to deny him anything if he looked at him like that, with those stupid golden round eyes full of ridiculously long eyelashes of his.

“Ok, we’ll do that. We’ll call you later” Sam relented with a sigh, though still quite coldly. He knew Blaine was doing it for him, because he worried he was going to lose his friendship with Sebastian, but he didn’t feel like meeting with the guys later. After what had happened with Blaine in the empty classroom the day before, he would have much preferred to spend the entire afternoon with him on their own, talking about everything, joking, laughing, being with each other. And maybe exploring each other’s mouths a little more too, of course. “So now if you don’t mind...”

“No, of course, we’ll let you study first. We’ll see you later, then” Sebastian said, grateful that at least he had been successful in getting Sam to talk to him again, even if it was as unemotionally as that.

So Sebastian, Puck and Mike left in the direction of the stairs, leaving the other two alone for the first time in the day. Sam smiled goofily even before turning to look at Blaine, and when he did he was rewarded with the same kind of grin.

“Hey you” Sam told him sweetly, as if it was the first time he was seeing him that day.

“Hey yourself” Blaine answered, equally sweet, as he unconsciously moved his body closer to Sam’s.

“I’ve been dying all day to do one thing” Sam confessed, his mouth getting nearer and nearer to Blaine’s to the point he was caressing it with his breath.

“Oh? And what would that be?” Blaine replied, not moving an inch away from him.

“This” Sam replied, and he immediately closed the distance between them when he joined their lips in a soft kiss, much more slow and tentative that the ones they had shared the day before, though equally loving.

“I had thought about that too” Blaine joked once the kiss broke, resting his forehead against Sam’s with a long and contented sigh.

“Well, I have to say I’m a bit angry at you right now” Sam joked.

“At me? Why?” Blaine asked, a little worried, but Sam immediately reassured him by picking up his hand.

“Why did you tell Sebastian we’d meet them later? I wanted you only to myself today” Sam pouted, eliciting a relieved chuckle from Blaine that everything seemed to be fine.

“You have me now”

“That’s not enough, I wanted you all afternoon”

“Well, I’m sorry for trying to make amends in a situation I provoked” Blaine joked, but Sam wanted to set him straight and free Blaine of the guilt he knew was carrying.

“You didn’t provoke anything, okay? It was not your fault”

“Still, if it hadn’t been for me...”

“Still nothing. Sebastian and I will be alright. It’s not like we’ve never been angry before, you know”

“Anyway, when it comes to friends, the sooner the better, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know if there is any sense in me disagreeing, I know I’m going to do what you want anyway...” Sam confessed, kissing Blaine’s lips chastely again and making him laugh wholeheartedly.

“It’s just because you know what’s good for you”

**********

“Wait, guys. This is ridiculous” Sebastian told his friends as they made it to the front door. “I can’t let this go on”

“What do you mean?” Mike asked, confused.

“Sam is still angry at me. I have to talk to him alone before we all meet this afternoon or the whole thing will be too awkward again. He’s my best friend, and this is only a big misunderstanding” Sebastian explained, for once looking really troubled about it.

“Misunderstanding? I think everybody understood everything perfectly well” Puck corrected him. Because yeah, he had promised Blaine he wasn’t going to stay angry at Sebastian for it, but that didn’t mean he was going to excuse his behavior.

“Okay, then it was a big mistake” Sebastian reluctantly admitted. “Besides, it doesn’t have anything to do with him, does it?”

“Or it has more to do with him than you think” Puck said enigmatically.

“What do you mean?” Sebastian asked, and Mike hurried to get in the conversation to stop Puck from talking more than he should. If they were right in their suspicions about Sam and Blaine, it was not their place to let Sebastian know.

“He means it’s got to do with him because he was there and he didn’t like it. Maybe he was even a little disappointed at you” Mike explained, not really lying though not being completely honest either.

“You’re right. I’ll go and talk to him. And to Blaine too if it’s necessary, although I’m a bit afraid of doing so. What if he goes off like that again? He got really angry” Sebastian explained.

“Anybody would have gotten angry, Seb” Mike tried to reason with him.

“Anyway, I’ll try and find them. Can you wait for me here?”

“Yes, but don’t take too long or you’ll find us gone” Puck threatened, teasingly.

“Okay, I’ll hurry up” Sebastian said over his shoulder, as he was already climbing up the stairs again.

**********

“I thought we were supposed to study” Blaine told Sam, as the latter tried to kiss him once again.

“Were we?” Sam replied, while nuzzling Blaine’s neck playfully.

“Yes, we were! So get going to the library! I have to go to the bathroom first, I want to try cleaning my t-shirt a bit, see if the coke doesn’t leave much of a stain. Get going, I’ll be there in a second”

“And walking all the way there all alone?” Sam told him, pouting, as he practically let himself fall on Blaine on an octopus and lazy embrace.

“Sammy, it can’t be more than thirty yards from here to the library” Blaine answered, laughing as he tried to extricate himself from Sam’s arms without too much effort.

“Maybe, but why go all the way there on my own when I can wait for you here and escort you all the way there? You could get lost, you know”

“Not when I know you would be waiting for me there”

“I’m not taking any risks” Sam told him hungrily, as he brought his hands to Blaine’s hips to bring him even closer and captured his lips in a slightly less soft kiss once again, until he felt Blaine smiling against his lips. Sooner that he would have liked, the kiss broke, but the good side of that is that he got to see that adoring smile that was lighting Blaine’s whole face –and which he knew was only for him– and Blaine grabbed both his hands to squeeze them lovingly.

“I’ll be back in a second” he said, so warmly that Sam’s heart seemed like it was going to melt.

“That’s too long” Sam joked, and as Blaine chuckled, he brought one of Blaine’s hands to his lips and kissed it, not losing their eye contact for a second.

“I’ll try to make it quick, then” Blaine promised, and with a last squeeze to Sam’s hands and a quick peck to his lips, he turned around and went before the blond had the chance to convince him otherwise.

“Well, well, well... how great is that?” Sam heard a voice behind him, and was shocked to find it belonged to Sebastian. “Should I congratulate you? When’s the wedding going to be?”

“Sebastian!” Sam gasped, unable to say anything more due to the astonishment of having been discovered like that.

“Yeah, that’s me. Your best friend, aren’t I? Or used to be, until you stabbed me in the back” Sebastian responded, his anger evident in his voice.

“No, let me explain, please. Blaine and I...” Sam started, but before he could say anything else, a hard punch made contact with the side of his jaw, leaving him in pain and absolutely speechless in shock.

“You don’t have to explain anything, I saw it quite well!” Sebastian shouted at him.

“Are you crazy?” Sam asked him once he regained his talking ability, while rubbing his chin, painfully. “How could you do that?”

“Me? How could _you_ do that? You were supposed to help me with Blaine, not to have it off with him yourself!”

Sam decided not to make any comment about the having-it-off thing, as he felt it didn’t fit what Blaine and he were having at all –it was much more than that–, because it was not the time and it would only make Sebastian angrier.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Sam apologized, even if he was fuming because of the punch he had just received, because he knew Sebastian still deserved some kind of explanation. “I know what I did was wrong, but it’s not like I had it planned like this, you know? It just happened!”

“You knew how much I wanted him and you didn’t care! Is that what friendship means to you?”

“Of course not! I didn’t mean to, but what I feel for Blaine is very strong, much more than it was for you, and I couldn’t help it! I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t falling in love with him”

“Aw, how sweet is that!” Sebastian sarcastically replied. “Do you think it means anything to me? The only thing I can see is how you betrayed me, how you didn’t care about my feelings at all!”

“Your feelings?” Sam replied, starting to lose patience himself to the point he could feel his tongue getting looser by the second. “Come on, don’t make me laugh. You feel nothing for him, you couldn’t care less! You told him so yourself! You only wanted to shag him because he is gorgeous and the almighty Sebastian Smythe always has to have the best. The only thing hurt here is your pride, not your feelings, you selfish asshole”

“Oh, but look at you all proud because you are the chosen one, because you beat me!”

“That’s not true! It doesn’t have anything to do with you! It happened because I care about him!” Sam protested, because he might have not done things right, but he was not going to let Sebastian question his feelings for Blaine.

“All that studying together, the thing with the jacket, you getting all angry about me kissing him... How could I not see how hard you were trying to steal him from me?”

“I haven’t been trying to steal him from you! Will you listen to me? We just fell into this, is that so hard to understand? And how could I steal him from you, when he was never yours in the first place?” Sam was getting so angry that he had totally lost control of his words, and he failed to see Blaine coming back in that exact moment. “But yeah, okay? I’m proud that Blaine picked me! Is it so hard to accept that it was not you who won this time?”

“You son of a bitch...” Sebastian mumbled, feeling angrier than he had ever felt, as once again he tried to throw a punch at Sam. But this time Blaine jumped between them, having foreseen what was about to happen, and pushed Sebastian away from Sam, who stood rooted to the floor at Blaine’s inopportune apparition. God knew what he had heard and what was going on in his head.

“What the hell are you two doing? Are you crazy?” Blaine yelled at them, as he stood between the two other boys, keeping them separated with his outstretched arms.

“Blaine, I...” Sam tried to justify himself, but Blaine didn’t even give him the chance to explain.

“Violence doesn’t solve anything” Blaine said in a thin voice, clearly very troubled about having seen them fighting and about what we had heard. “Ever!”

Sam wanted to hug him, to comfort him, to make him understand that what he had seen was not as it seemed, but he was aware of the image Blaine was having of him at that moment because of what he had heard: that Sam had won a competition in which he was the price. He could tell by the look of disappointment Blaine threw at him for a second, and he knew his words or gestures wouldn’t be well received in that moment.

“Don’t even dare to fight over me ever again” Blaine told them, with an incredible sadness, just before turning around and disappearing from their side, just as Mike and Puck appeared, tired of waiting for Sebastian downstairs. They didn’t know what was happening, but felt the sadness in Blaine’s hunched shoulders as he walked by and could almost touch the tension between Sam and Sebastian. Although they didn’t know what had happened, they imagined that finally it had happened what they had been warning Sam about.

“You don’t know what you’ve done” Sam reproached Sebastian, as he thought about how alone and betrayed Blaine would be feeling right now, and then he turned away to leave and follow the distraught boy, until Sebastian’s words stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Yeah, go and catch the poor little boy, for God’s sake! He’s all yours, you can keep him. He’s too much of a weirdo for me anyway” Sebastian answered contemptuously, raising an anger inside of Sam at his former best friend talking that way about Blaine that he grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the wall.

Sebastian felt real frightened for a second that Sam was going to hit him. Yes, he had hit Sam himself first, but only because he was sure that Sam was not going to defend himself, that he was going to feel guilty and that he was not a violent person by all means. He didn’t know if he could win a fight against Sam, who was not as tall as he was but way more sturdy and athletic, and was much angrier at the moment, so he surely didn’t want to try.

Puck and Mike hurried to separate them, each of them grabbing one of Sam’s arms, but his strength was powerful, especially when combined with such a great rage, and they were not able to make him let go of Sebastian that easily.

“Don’t you ever put Blaine’s name in your lips again” Sam told him threateningly, as fierce as they had never seen him before –in fact, they had practically never seen him angry before–, to which Sebastian could only gulp, praying Sam would leave it there.

And he did. Sam felt sick for a second when he realized he was holding Sebastian violently to the wall, and he let go of him as quickly as he had pushed him there. Puck and Mike let go of Sam immediately, feeling the danger was over, their hearts going out to him and to Blaine, knowing something terrible had happened, even if they didn’t know what exactly.

“I would stay away from him if I were you” Sebastian yelled at Sam’s retreating back, his voice full of venom and anger now that he didn’t fear Sam was going to hit him. “He’s only going to bring you trouble”

Without even looking back, Sam fastened his pace and went away, leaving Sebastian behind, afraid of his own reaction if he stayed any longer, and suddenly feeling devastated about having lost his best friend and, above all, the person he was falling in love with in a heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Blaine couldn’t stop the tears falling as soon as he left the school building behind him, even as he tried drying them again and again with the back of his hands. He felt like running, to put as much distance between him and the place where his heart had been shattered to pieces as possible, but he contented himself with walking fast, as more tears found their way down his cheeks, uninvited. God knew it was not the first time he had trusted someone and they had failed him. But it had never happened with someone whom he had given his heart to so completely, someone with whom he had shared so much. Someone whom he was in love with.

He couldn’t believe Sam’s cold blood, comforting him about the episode with Sebastian when he had been doing the same, only more successfully. Had it been part of his strategy? Like sending all those messages to him worrying about him? Like coming to pick him up when Blaine had needed him the most, always trying to make him feel better? Like giving him the jacket? It all seemed like too big an effort to him, even if it was because he wanted to shag him or because he wanted to beat Sebastian.

And the happiness he had seen in Sam’s eyes when he had suggested he could go away with him when he was of age and left Lima? He couldn’t be that good an actor, could he? He knew he was pinning his hopes on this, but would it be possible that it all had been a terrible misunderstanding? It was not only that he couldn’t believe he has been so easily fooled by Sam. But he couldn’t believe someone like him would take part in something like that. He could believe it from Sebastian, but from Sam?

Yet his words didn’t leave much room to confusion. He had said he had won. And that he was proud of it. So he couldn’t fool himself anymore: as hard as it was to accept, Sam was not like he had thought he was. And that only showed him, once more, how he couldn’t trust anyone and how alone in the world he was.

And the grief he felt at admitting that to himself physically hurt on his chest.

**********

“What the hell happened here?” Mike asked Sebastian in reproach, his voice far from its usual friendly way.

“Can you believe that selfish prick betrayed me like that?” Sebastian responded in fury.

“Betrayed you?” Puck asked, confused.

“He was snogging Blaine!”

“Was he?” Mike asked with a sigh, troubled, starting to imagine how things had gone, and feeling sorry for both Blaine and Sam, now that his suspicions about their feelings had been confirmed and everything seemed to have been ruined. “I’ll go and talk to Sam” he whispered to Puck, who simply nodded, and then he was gone.

“What the hell? I’m the one who was betrayed!” Sebastian yelled at Mike’s retreating back, though receiving no answer.

“Will you shut your fucking mouth?” Puck ordered in no uncertain terms, and Sebastian stopped yelling, reluctantly, though he wasn’t ready yet to stop complaining.

“I don’t get it! I’m the victim here, and you all worry about him? He betrayed me and then he almost punched the lights out of me!”

“And you did nothing to him, I assume” Puck sarcastically replied.

“Ok, I punched him first” Sebastian admitted, muttering in embarrassment.

“You did what?” Puck couldn’t believe his ears.

“I was angry, ok? He was kissing Blaine, when he knew I was the one supposed to do it! I wanted Blaine from the beginning, and he knew it”

“Sebastian, open your eyes, will you? This is not about what you want! Blaine is not a toy for you to play with, he’s a person. And he chose Sam!” Puck yelled at him to make him react.

“But Sam was supposed to be my best friend!” Sebastian still protested, shocked that no one seemed to get the seriousness of Sam’s disloyalty. “He was not supposed to betray me like that”

“Ok, maybe he wasn’t” Puck admitted, because none of that would have happened if Sam had listened to him and talked to Sebastian from the beginning. “Maybe he should have talked about it with you. But he didn’t look for it, he didn’t do it on purpose. I think he’s really fallen in love with Blaine”

“So what, that just justifies everything?”

“I’m sorry, but yes. The only one who is being a lousy friend here is you, not understanding how important Blaine is to Sam. Much more than to you, who couldn’t even make the effort of being his friend. If you weren’t so selfish you’d be able to see that”

“So you’re taking sides with him?”

“Mike and I are not taking sides with anyone, we are going to stay out of your troubles. I stayed here, didn’t I? I’m just telling you what you need to hear. Of course Sam will have to hear me too. You both are like little kids in need of being told off”

“Oh, so that makes you the responsible adult?”

“Compared to you, yeah” Puck answered, sarcastically.

“Then God help us, if we have to wait for you to solve all our problems” he answered, clearly annoyed at the little comprehension he was receiving after the emotional blow he had received.

**********

Sam was finding it hard even to breathe as he climbed down the front stairs of the school after so many emotions: one minute he had been kissing Blaine, holding hands with him, having him pressed against his own body, as if nothing else mattered in this world. Next minute, although involuntarily, he had broken his heart –he hoped not irreparably– and was pinning his best friend by the collar to the wall, dangerously close to smashing his face in. If he now felt as if he could never forgive Sebastian, what would Blaine be feeling about him right now?

“Sam, wait!” Mike yelled after him and, even though the only thing he wanted to do was run away and be alone, he knew Mike was just worrying about him, so he stopped.

The first thing Mike did when reaching his side was resting his hand sympathetically at Sam’s arm, and it took Sam all he got not to burst into tears right then and there.

“What happened, Sam?” Mike asked softly, and Sam found it was very difficult to put so much sadness into words.

“I screwed up, Mike” he answered honestly, and there was so much grief in his voice that Mike felt he could almost touch it, it was so intense.

“But you two will make amends, I’m sure” Mike offered kindly, but Sam only shook his head in negation.

“I don’t know if he will be able to forgive me. He trusted me, he opened his heart out for me even if he had never done it with anyone else, and all he got was more disappointment and betrayal”

That’s when Mike realized Sam was not grieving about his fight with Sebastian, but about whatever the hell had happened with Blaine. And that’s when Mike understood how much really Blaine meant to Sam, and that it was not just attraction: he was in love with him.

“What happened, Sam?” Mike insisted, trying to understand the situation.

“My stupid mouth and stupid words coming out of it made him believe that this thing between us was just because of some sort of competition between Sebastian and me to which he was the prize” Sam lamented, hiding his face between his hands. “He leant on me and all he got was another failure. I know he’s strong, but there’s only too much a person can take, you know”

Of course Mike didn’t know what Sam was talking about, but they all had seen enough about Blaine to be aware that he didn’t have an easy life. And they knew how much Sam had fought to make him feel secure, to fill whatever void he had in his life. So now that he seemed to have ruined it somehow, the guilt he was feeling was so evident that Mike could almost feel it on his own heart.

“But this is just a misunderstanding, Sam. You just have to talk to him”

“And why would he listen to me?” Sam retorted, his face coming out of its hiding place to look intently at his friend, silently praying for him to contradict him and give him hope. “To his eyes I’m only the guy who fooled him and made him believe they had something special when he was just playing around to beat his friend. Why would he give me a second chance?”

“Because he loves you” Mike answered him, because it was as simple as that, and Sam was just left speechless for a second, so Mike went on. “He might be angry and hurt right now, but he will listen. And he will understand. I know I don’t know him that well, but... he just seems like that kind of person”

“He is” Sam answered with a sat, yet fond, smile. “He’s got such a big heart...”

“Then you two are surely made for each other” Mike continued with a reciprocating smile. “Everything has to turn out okay”

“I wish I could be that positive...” Sam lamented.

“Just... try, okay?” Mike pleaded, squeezing his shoulder in a friendly way before leaving in search of Puck, giving Sam the space he knew he needed to think things through.

As he walked away from the school building, Sam couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with Mike. And the more he thought about it, all the more difficult it seemed to him that Blaine would want to listen, and even if he did, that he would believe him. No one knew like Sam how alone Blaine was. And only three days ago, he had promised him he would always be there for him. He had only needed three days to screw it up and break his promise, although unwillingly. And that’s what hurt him the most: to know that for Blaine right now he was only one more person that had failed him to add to the list. And that’s why he felt he could never forgive Sebastian for it. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how he would be feeling if the only person he could trust, and whom he had opened his heart to in every way, said what he had said. Of course Sam hadn’t really meant anything with it, but he knew how it had sounded, and what Blaine would be feeling: that Sam had betrayed his trust and that he didn’t really care about him. Just like Sebastian. Just like his brother. And his father.

He suddenly decided to hurry up and try to catch up with him on his way home. He needed to talk to him and make him understand it had all been a terrible misunderstanding. And he needed to do it as soon as possible, because he knew Blaine was devastated at that moment. Even if their relationship was marred forever with this and they couldn’t be together, at least he needed to make him understand he had always been honest with him. And that he was not alone, if he would let him be with him.

But when Sam made it all the way to Blaine’s home and there was no trace of him, he knew he would not be seeing him that day. He had probably run all the way home, just to avoid someone following him, and he was already inside.

Sam wondered for a second if he should try ringing the bell and see if he would answer. But he stopped himself before it was too late: even if Blaine hadn’t openly said what went on behind those walls, Sam knew he had a very difficult situation. What if his father didn’t like Sam being there? What if he got angry at Blaine? He could not risk it. Blaine didn’t need more trouble on himself. Especially caused by him and his stupid impulsiveness.

So it was with a big sorrow that Sam made the way towards his own home that afternoon. Especially if he got to remember how in ecstasy he had been feeling just the day before. And all because of Sebastian. And both their big mouths.

**********

Blaine sighed tiredly as he finally decided to leave his bed at mid morning the day after. He had been lying awake for hours –he practically hadn’t had any sleep–, but he surely wasn’t feeling like getting up today. What for? There was nothing worth getting up, nothing that could make him want to stand up and face the day.

And there it was his damned phone, vibrating again. It hadn’t stopped doing it from an early hour –too early for Sam, usually–. Maybe he hadn’t slept that much either. But that would mean he was worried about their situation. And why would that be, if he didn’t give a damn about him? Trying to figure out how Sam’s mind worked was only giving him a headache. He knew it would be easier for him to pick it up and let him explain, but he was not ready yet to talk to him. And he was afraid he would fool him again with his nice words and his kind manners, as he had done before.

When the phone rang again after only a minute, Blaine groaned, exasperated, and grabbed it with the intention of shutting it down. But then he realized it was not Sam calling this time, but Mike. Sweet and caring Mike. He was not in the mood to talk to him, really, but he knew there was no real reason that justified ignoring the call. Mike was not to blame for the sins of his friends, and he had been nothing but nice to him. So with a great effort, he finally brought the phone to his ear and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Blaine” Mike greeted him, trying to sound jovial.

“Hey, Mike. What’s up?” Blaine answered as politely as possible, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice.

“Nothing really... I was just wondering if you were doing something this afternoon”

“Not really”

“Oh, so you have no plans?”

“Come on, Mike, don’t feign with me, I can tell you know about what happened yesterday”

“Okay, I know. That’s why I’m calling you. I wanted to make sure you were okay”

“That’s very nice of you, Mike. But don’t worry about me. Focus on those two, if they haven’t killed each other yet”

“No, Blaine. Puck and I worry about you too. We care about you, you know? Just because you’ve had problems with them doesn’t mean you can’t be our friend anymore”

Blaine felt like crying all over again. It was true: what had happened with Sam and Sebastian didn’t have anything to do with Puck and Mike, and they were always great with him. But he had thought that about Sebastian at the beginning too. And Sam... How could he trust anyone after Sam?

“Thank you, Mike. You’re both very generous” Blaine answered, not wanting to get into any more detail.

“Are you okay, then?”

“I’ll be okay”

“We were wondering if you would like to come with us to the club this afternoon”

“Mike, I don’t think...”

“We aren’t going with Sam or Sebastian, if that’s what’s worrying you. They won’t be there. It will only be Puck and me.  And we’d really like you to come. I don’t think you should spend all the weekend locked up at home on your own, especially after... after what happened. You’ll go crazy”

Blaine knew Mike was right about that. He hated being at home at any time, he didn’t think he could survive a full weekend with the only company of his father. And he really needed to occupy his mind with something that was not Sam. Even if it was only for a little while.

“I know you’re right... Okay, I’ll see you there, then”

“But you’ll come, won’t you? You’re not just saying this so I don’t keep insisting”

“Of course not. I’ll be there”

“Okay, then. See you later, Blaine”

“See you, Mike. And thanks”

**********

Blaine arrived to the club some minutes later than they had agreed. He had come dangerously close to not come, but the alternative was to stay home all weekend, with his father, and he wasn’t sure he was able to take it, so he had changed his opinion in the last minute.

When he arrived, he immediately spotted Mike and Puck sitting on a table, talking amicably, apparently oblivious to the hell that had broken loose the day before. But they weren’t, he knew that. That’s why Mike had called and pleaded for him to come. That’s why they worried about him, and he really appreciated that. And at least they had been honest with him and it was not a trap, as he had feared: neither Sam or Sebastian were there, so he wouldn’t be forced to talk to them.

“Hey, guys” Blaine greeted them, as cheerfully as he was able, as he sat down in front of them.

“Hey, Blaine” Mike answered with a big smile, to which Blaine could do nothing more than to reciprocate, even if his own smile was much smaller. “I’m glad you came”

“I told you I would” Blaine answered, as he joined his fist with Puck in a friendly gesture.

“Yes, but you didn’t sound too convinced about it, so...”

“We were fearing you wouldn’t show up” Puck finished the sentence for him, always more direct.

“I couldn’t fail you, guys. You’ve been nothing but great to me” Blaine answered honestly with the smallest voice, and Mike and Puck worried about how emotional he seemed to be, silently cursing their two other friends for causing him so much trouble.

“We wanted to know if you’re okay” Mike told him, so warmly that Blaine felt like bursting into tears right at that moment.

“You know everything that happened, right? Then you know the answer to your question” Blaine answered with a humorless smile.

“Were you... were you serious about Sam? About your feelings for him?” Mike asked.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it? He surely wasn’t” Blaine answered sadly.

“Are you sure about that?” Puck intervened.

“Of course I’m sure. It was the same that happened with Sebastian, only so much worse. Because he made me believe he had feelings for me so he hurt me way more deeply...”

“But how can you be so sure he was not being honest?” Mike was trying to find the tiniest crack in Blaine’s protective wall, but he was making it very difficult.

“Guys, I now you want to help, and I appreciate it, really. But please, nothing you can say is going to make things better, so could we just leave it?” Blaine implored, and both Mike and Puck realized they were not the ones who could make things better again.

“You know we only want the best for you, right?” Mike asked, mysteriously, and Blaine could only nod, a bit confused.

“I guess” Blaine answered, hesitantly, just before he noticed Mike nodding his head at someone at his own back.

“Blaine?” Sam asked tentatively as he approached him, not wanting to scare him away. “Can we talk?”

Blaine turned around just enough to discover Sam standing behind him. So it had been a trap, after all. As soon as he saw it was Sam, he abruptly stood up to leave, not saying a word, but throwing a dirty look at Mike and Puck, who immediately disappeared guiltily to leave them alone. Sam gently grabbed his arm to stop him, but he noticed how Blaine’s muscles tensed at the unexpected pressure, so Sam let go of him immediately and prayed he hadn’t made the situation even worse. Even if he didn’t trust him right now, at least he hoped Blaine would know he would never hurt him.

“Please, Blaine. Give me just one minute. We deserve a chance, don’t we?” Sam didn’t care if it sounded like begging. He would get down on his knees to supplicate, if it was necessary.

Blaine’s only response was silence, but he sat down again and gestured to the now empty chair in front of him for Sam to sit, which he hurried to oblige but  –was Sam seeing a deep hope in his eyes that everything had a solution?–. Sam waited for a second, in case Blaine wanted to initiate the conversation, but when he realized that was not going to happen, he decided to take the initiative.

“Blaine, what happened yesterday...”

“I don’t want anyone fighting over me” Blaine interrupted him.

“It wasn’t like that. At least, not in the way you think. I know what it looked like, but you are not the prize of a competition between Sebastian and me”

“Then what was it like?”

“I was not supposed to feel the way I do about you. Sebastian was interested in you from the beginning and, as his best friend, I shouldn’t have fallen for you. But I did. In a way I wouldn’t have thought possible” Sam answered, resolute to being completely honest about everything and not to leave anything unsaid, as it was the least Blaine deserved.

“Is that why you stopped me when we first kissed? Why you said you were trying to resist?” Blaine asked, and Sam tried not to get his hopes up when he could feel Blaine dying to believe him.

“Yes” Sam answered, nodding effusively.

“And why did you change your mind?”

“I didn’t at first, I just wasn’t able to help it because I felt too strongly for you. But then when Sebastian hurt you... suddenly it didn’t matter that much to me anymore if he got angry”

“So did you tell him about us to rub it in him?” Blaine asked with a trembling voice.

“No, I swear I didn’t” Sam answered with a sad sigh. The things that had been going through Blaine’s mind since the day before... “I know how it sounded like, but I swear to you I would never use this thing between us for any purpose, much less something like that. It’s too important for me. But Sebastian saw us kissing yesterday. And he wasn’t very happy about the fact I acted on you on his back, as he put it. He is... he was my best friend, and I didn’t want to hurt him but... what I feel for you is much stronger than that, and I can’t fight against it”

“I’m not worth fighting for” Blaine mumbled, shaking his head in sadness as Sam’s heart broke for the hundredth time.

“I beg to differ about that. I would fight for you against anything or anyone that tried to take you away from me” Sam promised, meaning it from the bottom of his heart.

“And how do I know I can trust you?” Blaine asked, unable to hide anything, including his insecurities.

Sam tried not to be offended by that, because he knew Blaine had the right to be distrustful. Hey, he would be in his place after how things had gone, and he didn’t have such a history of disappointing people in his life.

“Because you know me” Sam answered while looking intently at Blaine to give him the chance to read his eyes and see how honest he was. “And I know you can see through me and you can tell I’m not lying”

“I don’t want to come between two best friends” Blaine insisted, although Sam could see all his defenses slowly going down.

“It was not your fault. Sebastian... I know I disappointed him, but he disappointed me much more, believe me. I’m taking a chance on you, if you’ll let me” Sam begged him, offering his hand to Blaine across the table.

Blaine looked at him in the eye intently, as if trying to read his thoughts, and Sam could see his reluctance to believe him slowly breaking, and another feeling –could it be love? – filling his beautiful eyes in its place. Then he silently took Sam’s hand and pulled it to guide him to the dance floor, not looking back ‘cause he didn’t want to risk taking a look at Sam’s face and finding some hesitation there that would make him lose his courage. What he didn’t know, though, was that Sam could hardly stop smiling like a fool, so happy was he feeling about having Blaine’s hand in his again. His own hand had felt so empty until that moment...

When they arrived to the dance floor and found a bit of space for them, Blaine took a deep breath, trying to stop the blushing he knew was coming to his cheeks at his impulsiveness, and then he slowly turned around. If he had expected Sam to be annoyed or surprised he couldn’t be more wrong: a big and extremely tender smile was on his lips, and his loving gaze didn’t leave Blaine’s eyes for a moment. Then Blaine smiled shyly in response, and Sam chuckled happily, as he took the chance to put his arms around Blaine’s waist in a tender embrace with the excuse of dancing to the slow music playing at the moment. Blaine blushed even a little more, if that was possible, but he didn’t run away. If something was going to separate him from Sam, after all they had gone through, it surely wasn’t going to be embarrassment, so he slowly moved his arms to envelop Sam’s neck with them, and he started rocking them both around in time to the music.

“Does it hurt?” Blaine asked worriedly, gently caressing the little bruise that had formed on Sam’s jaw because of Sebastian’s punch.

Sam smiled fondly as he took the hand Blaine had on his face and brought it to his lips to kiss it, as if asking him to stop worrying about it.

“No, it doesn’t. The truth is Sebastian punches like a girl” Sam joked, and Blaine chuckled in spite of himself at his poor attempt of humor.

When Blaine’s arms returned to embrace Sam’s neck, they danced gracefully for a while, as if they had been born to dance together, their eyes never leaving the other’s. Sam smiled at Blaine reassuringly, as if asking for permission, and when Blaine nodded almost imperceptibly, Sam leant over and captured Blaine’s lips in a slow and tender kiss that elicited a few murmurs and whispering around them –to which they were completely oblivious, so absorbed they were by one another. Right there and then, only they existed.

When the kiss broke, Blaine gave Sam one of his million-dollar smiles, which Sam reciprocated with one of his own, and trustingly rested his head on Sam’s shoulder, completely in a bliss as Sam squeezed him strongly to his chest, their connected bodies never losing the beat.

“I told you he would listen” Mike whispered in Sam’s ear as he passed them by, accompanying Puck to the bar to get a drink. “And I told you you two are made for each other”

Sam looked down at Blaine’s contented smile, his face still lying on his shoulder, and he could only nod in agreement.


	10. Chapter 10

Sam sighed, absolutely in bliss, as Blaine’s breath caressed the skin on his neck. They were still rocking impossibly together to the beat of music, oblivious to everything else around them, and Blaine’s head was still resting in Sam’s shoulder, his arms enveloping his neck. It was so magical that Sam felt a sudden rush of love for this wonderful creature in his arms and the only thing he could do was to squeeze him more strongly to his chest.

“This is perfect” he heard Blaine’s whispering words next to his ear, and Sam agreed with a gentle kiss to his cheek.

“I know” he answered with a deep sigh. 

“How could I doubt you?” Blaine asked rhetorically, with deep regret in his voice.

“You had pretty good reasons” Sam answered, wanting to stop him from feeling guilty about it.

“But I should have known better” Blaine lifted his head from Sam’s shoulder to look at him intently.

“You know now and that’s all that matters”

“Are you always that perfect?” Blaine asked in a joking tone.

“Only when you’re around” Sam answered with a half smile, idly playing with the hair falling on Blaine’s forehead.

“Good enough” Blaine answered with a wide smile before bringing Sam’s face closer to his again and kissing his lips slowly but firmly, not really giving him the chance to avoid it. Not that he had any intention, he noticed, as Sam’s arms strengthened their grip around his waist as he very willingly responded to the kiss.

But the slow music that had accompanied their dance suddenly changed into an upbeat and lively song that somehow ruined the tender moment they were in. They broke the kiss and gave each other an embarrassed smile, still shy about their exuberant emotions. They wouldn’t be able to continue rocking to the beat entwined around each other, but they could still dance together –close together– and delight themselves with some of their “best moves” –or their least horrible ones, according to Sam.

Amongst all the people looking at them were Mike and Puck, who were clearly enjoying the show and couldn’t be happier about its resolution. Well, they could be happier: if Sebastian was there too and he was happy about his best friend and his new-found love. But they didn’t see that happening anytime soon. And today was not the day to worry about that. It was the day to enjoy love.

“So it looks like we didn’t need to worry about them so much after all” Puck commented.

“I told you they would make up. They just... had to” Mike answered, with a fond smile, without taking his eyes from the dancing couple.

“Mikey, Mikey, you’re just a romantic at heart, aren’t you?”

“Only when it’s about people so perfect for each other”

Meanwhile the “dancing competition” between the love birds, who only had eyes for each other, continued on the dance floor. Blaine was clearly wining, as the only move Sam had mastered was his infamous body-roll, and Blaine really seemed to know how to move.

“Wow! Where did you learn to dance like that?” Sam asked, only half joking.

“I used to sing and dance a lot with my friends back at home. Not only like this, in clubs, but at our own rooms whenever we got together when we were younger. We were in a boarding school, you know” Blaine explained, with a hint of embarrassment. “We liked to pretend we were adults having a party sometimes. Other times we were the back dancers to some famous artists or a pop band”

“I bet you were the best” Sam praised him, amused. “You are surely not made to be in the back of a stage, believe me”

“Oh no, they were good. You should have seen my friend Wes. He is amazing... he would always deny it, but I know he would give anything to become a rock star... He has a strong character” Blaine smiled at the memory of his friend. “And Trent and Dave weren’t that far behind. We didn’t have a band, as you guys did, but we surely enjoyed music”

“Who’s that Wes? Should I be jealous?” Sam asked with a mock frown, but Blaine smiled when he saw he was only joking.

“No, nothing like that. He was my best friend, the best friend someone could wish for. He always was there for me. And I couldn’t even say goodbye to him or the others when I moved to Lima, it was all so sudden” Blaine explained, the light mood from a moment before visibly falling at the painful memories.

“Do you miss them?” Sam asked, a little apprehensive, when he noticed the tone of sadness in his voice. Maybe Blaine did miss them so much he would rather be with them.

“Yes, very much, they were good people and good friends” Blaine answered, with a nostalgic tone, but then he noticed Sam somewhat sad expression and hurried to explain. “But that doesn’t mean I’d prefer to be there. You were not there. And I want to be wherever you are”

A new happiness and pride filled Sam’s heart at Blaine’s words, especially as he knew he was completely honest. Blaine was not happy since he had moved to Lima, he had lost all his friends and he hated living with his father; and yet he preferred to be there just to be with him. And that moved Sam to the point he thought it was impossible to feel more strongly towards someone.

“That works both ways. You know that, don’t you?” Suddenly it felt important for Sam to make Blaine understand he felt the same about him.

“Yeah, I think I do” Blaine answered with a smile.

“Good” Sam answered, before gently cupping the back of Blaine’s head and kissing his lips once again. He felt he would never get tired of it, and by the looks of it, neither would Blaine.

“It’s getting late” Blaine whispered regretfully once the kiss broke.

“Is it?” Sam mumbled, resting his forehead against Blaine’s.

“Yeah. As much as I hate it, I should get going”

“May I walk you home?” Sam pleaded, and Blaine smiled tenderly at him.

“Please” Blaine could only answer, not wanting anything else in the world.

“Holding hands?” Sam pouted, eliciting a wholehearted laugh from the other boy.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way” Blaine answered happily, and to prove his words he extended his hand in front of Sam, and the latter picked it up without hesitation, immediately entwining their fingers together.

Hand in hand they made their way from the dance floor to the door, oblivious to Mike and Puck still watching them from a distance.

“How great is this?” Puck exclaimed sarcastically as the two lovebirds made their way out of the club. “They are together thanks to us and not even a thank you! Hey, not even goodbye!”

“Don’t be so egocentric, you moron! They have more important things to think about right now than you” Mike answered, before he playful clobbered Puck’s head.

“They seemed to be in quite a hurry. Do you think they’re going to...?” Puck suggested with a mischievous smile.

“Puck! They just patched things up! I think they just need to be with each other for a while”

“Now we only need to fix this thing with Sebastian...”

“I think that’s not going to be that easy...” Mike lamented.

**********

Blaine and Sam walked, hand in hand, sending shy gazes to each other, their eyes meeting every now and then, causing a smile to appear every time. They were feeling incredibly happy and comfortable with each other, and both had the feeling that it was only the beginning.

“Oh, shit!” Blaine suddenly exclaimed. “I forgot to say goodbye to Puck and Mike!”

Sam laughed wholeheartedly and let go of Blaine’s hand to put his arm around his waist, squeezing Blaine strongly to him.

“They must think I hate them, after the look I threw at them when you appeared and I realized it had all been a trap” Blaine explained with a pout.

“But it was worth it, wasn’t it?” Sam asked, already knowing the answer.

“It sure was”

“Although I have to say for a second I thought you were going to punch me too”

“I would never punch anyone” Blaine answered, more seriously that he had intended.

“I know that, I was only joking” Sam answered, a bit surprised at the change in the general mood, and kissed Blaine’s cheek to make it all better again. He knew Blaine didn’t approve violence of any kind (he had clearly stated that when Sebastian and Sam had fought), but he should have realized he was only joking, right?

“So when did you start using your friends to do the dirty work?” Blaine joked, in an attempt of changing the subject and go back to the light mood from a moment before.

“I didn’t!” Sam tried to defend himself, amusedly. “They offered! Mike said something about blam and about us being made for each other, so...”

“They’re good people” Blaine commented with a grateful smile.

“Yes, they are. And good friends”

“Yet you miss Sebastian”

“I miss who I thought Sebastian was. But what I saw yesterday... I don’t think it’s such a great loss”

“You can’t be that resentful at him just because he got angry. I know you, there’s got to be something else” Blaine noticed how Sam kept quiet, and all of a sudden he understood the hidden reason to Sam’s anger had to have something to do with him. “There is, isn’t there?”

“He... he insulted you” Sam confessed, reluctant at letting Blaine know what Sebastian thought of him.

“Oh. And what did he say?” Blaine asked, more curious than really offended.

“He said you’re a... a weirdo. And that I should get away from you or you’ll bring me trouble”

Silence fell between them for a second, and Sam risked a look from the corner of his eye to see how affected Blaine was by Sebastian’s horrible words. Blaine’s face, though, showed no emotion at the moment, and Sam squeezed him again to show him his support, if it was needed.

“You know I think he’s wrong, right?” Sam rushed to ask, suddenly afraid that Blaine would think he had doubts about their relationship.

“He’s right in a way, though, you know” Blaine broke his silence after a couple of seconds. “I will bring you trouble sooner or later, I know it. Trouble is been following me for some time now. Maybe we should...”

“I know what you’re going to say and I don’t even want to hear it” Sam interrupted him before Blaine had the chance to suggest they forgot about each other, because it was simply impossible. “I meant what I told you before: I will fight for you”

“Even if I’m a weirdo?” Blaine asked, only half joking.

“You’re not!” Sam corrected him firmly.

“I guess it’s the image I give”

“But it’s not who you are! I know you”

“And that’s all that matters” Blaine answered with a grateful smile. “Why should I care about people thinking I’m crazy when the most wonderful person on Earth thinks I’m not?”

Sam had to stop for a minute to accept such a compliment, especially because he knew Blaine was incapable of not being honest, so he really thought that of him. Him being the most wonderful person on Earth? No way. That person was precisely the one saying those words.

“Oh, and who would that person be?” Sam joked, trying to make light of the compliment before he burst into tears at the emotion of it, and he received a playful nudge on his ribs in response.

“Stop asking for flattery or you won’t receive any more!” Blaine threatened, jokingly.

“Ok, I admit it was a very poor try” Sam joked.

“It was” Blaine joked back, but then he turned serious. “Sam, I... There’s no need to stop being friends with Sebastian on my behalf. He’s your best friend and...”

“Was” Sam interrupted, gently but resolutely.

“Okay, was. But he can be again. You’ve known him for so much longer that you’ve known me”

“So what, does that mean he has to be more important to me than you are? And by the looks of it, I didn’t know him that well...”

“Look, I’m just saying you shouldn’t lose him just because of what he said. I don’t care about it, so you shouldn’t either. Besides, he’s entitled to have his own opinion, right?”

“I don’t want to be friends with anybody that talks or thinks that way about you”

“Then you won’t be friends with a lot of people, as my craziness seems to be a general opinion” Blaine mumbled, but for once Sam didn’t want to feign he hadn’t heard it.

“Why do you say those things? Why are you always underestimating yourself like this?” Sam asked firmly, wanting to make clear he was not going to accept not receiving an answer, but he squeezed Blaine’s waist once again so as not to look so strict.

“I don’t. It’s just the truth” Blaine answered calmly.

“I think there are a lot of things about you that you’re keeping to yourself. Important things I would really like to know so maybe I could help you”

“I will tell you about it someday. But not today, please. I feel so happy today... I don’t want to ruin it” Blaine was almost pleading, and one look at his eyes and Sam found once again it was impossible for him to deny him anything.

“Okay, not today” Sam reluctantly relented. “But the day will come when you’ll have to explain everything to me”

“I promise” Blaine said as he stopped in front of Sam once they had arrived to the door of his building. “So... we’re already here” Blaine said regretfully, sad that the evening was coming to an end.

“Looks like it” Sam answered, equally regretful, as he picked both Blaine’s hands in his.

“I’m so glad you explained everything to me” Blaine confessed with a smile.

“I’m so glad you gave me the chance to explain. To tell you the truth, I don’t know if I would have been so generous in your position”

“I was not generous at all, quite the contrary. I was just thinking about me and how much I needed you and praying it had all been a misunderstanding, because I didn’t want to lose you”

“Nice try, but I don’t believe you” Sam replied with a gentle chuckle. “You just couldn’t not give me the chance. Hey, I know you a little by now. And I hope I get to know you much better”

“Well, I hope you don’t get too scared with what you find, when you do”

“I’m sure I won’t” Sam answered just before cupping Blaine’s face with his hands and kissing him gently one last time. “I’m going to miss you until Monday”

“Oh, I won’t miss you” Blaine answered, mischievously.

“Oh, you won’t?” Sam answered, raising his eyebrows in amused surprise.

“No, because I’ll be dreaming of you” Blaine answered, letting himself be engulfed in Sam’s strong embrace.

“Um, that’s a good idea, I think I’ll copy it myself” Sam answered, squeezing Blaine strongly to his chest for a long time before letting him go.

“Bye” Blaine told him tenderly, squeezing his hands lovingly before turning to enter the building.

“Bye” Sam repeated with a goofy smile as Blaine finally closed the door behind him. And that smile didn’t leave his face for a second all night, as he dreamed of a certain golden-eyed dancing boy as he had promised.

**********

That night both Mike and Puck’s phones beeped with a message from Blaine that simply said “Thank you”. And they knew they had done right.


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m never going to be able to pass this exam, I’m such an idiot” Sam grumped, clearly annoyed, as he threw his pen on the table in frustration. He had been in the library for hours, with Blaine sitting by his side trying to help him with his complete inability to understand a single maths problem, but he felt like no good had come of it.

“You’re not an idiot! I don’t want to hear that ever again” Blaine reprimanded him, even if he put his own hand on top of Sam’s to caress it comfortingly.

“But I am! Look how much time we’ve been doing this and I still haven’t got the hang of it! What does that tell you?” Sam knew he was sounding like a spoiled brat, but he was so annoyed at himself that he couldn’t help it.

“It only tells me we need to keep doing it until you get it, that’s all” Blaine answered patiently, squeezing Sam’s hand in his. “But you’re not an idiot, okay?”

“But...” Sam insisted, but Blaine was having none of it. 

“Ok?” he repeated, more forcefully.

“Ok” Sam conceded reluctantly.

“If you were, I would not be wasting my time with this” Blaine explained, trying to obtain a smile from the other boy.

“Oh, so you’re wasting your time” Sam jokingly responded.

“No, I would be if you were an idiot. Are you following the conversation at all?” Blaine responded, mockingly serious.

Sam laughed wholeheartedly and put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders to attract him to him and kiss his temple in gratitude.

“Thank you, you little Einstein”

“It’s not that big a deal” Blaine answered a little embarrassed, trying to dismiss Sam’s appraisal.

“How is it not? You’ve been wasting your time with me...”

“Not wasting” Blaine interrupted, gently.

“Ok, investing your time in me since the beginning of the school year and it’s almost Christmas now! That’s weeks of you helping me instead of doing your own studying. And your own exam is tomorrow too, you know”

“Sam, honey, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not the only one studying here. We’re doing it together, I’m studying just the same as you are, so don’t you dare worry about me” Blaine explained with a tender smile that made the butterflies in Sam’s stomach to fly twice as fast.

“So what does it feel to do everything well?” Sam joked, hope to lighten the mood so Blaine wouldn’t think he was too much of a whiner. “You’re a great student, you can dance and sing like an angel... Is there anything you’re bad at?”

“I suck at pool, you already know that”

“That’s true, you do”

“Well, thanks!” Blaine answered with mock annoyance as he playfully slapped Sam’s arm while trying not to laugh.

“Hey, I just need to find something that makes you human! You are so perfect you don’t even feel real” Sam said with a smile, only half joking.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You may not be the best dancer or have problems to keep up with some of the subjects at school, but you have the biggest heart that widely compensates for those little stupid things” Blaine explained, more seriously this time.

“You want to talk about big hearts, when you’ve been over the same exercise for the whole afternoon just for my sake?”

“After everything you’ve done for me, helping you study seems like such a small thing...” Blaine answered, kind of regretfully.

“Now who’s the one being ridiculous? I’ve done nothing for you that you wouldn’t have in my place, so let’s stop this silly competition about who is the worst person here and let’s just be happy we have each other. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great” Blaine admitted with a giggle, and Sam didn’t lose a second to capture Blaine’s delicious lips in a quick kiss.

“And now... some more studying?” Sam suggested, obviously reluctant, and Blaine smiled proudly at him.

“Of course”

**********

“So, are you ready?” Blaine asked with an encouraging smile next day, as they sat in the classroom where they were supposed to have the exam, waiting for the teacher to appear.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Sam answered, and Blaine could tell he was quite nervous about it.

“Sammy, you know as well as I do that you finally got it yesterday” Blaine explained as he covered Sam’s hand with his own. “You’re going to do great”

“Yes, but that was yesterday, without the pressure of the exam and with you by my side to correct me if it was necessary”

“But it wasn’t, was it? You did it on your own. And if it helps, I’m still at your side, even if I can’t talk to you during the exam” Blaine joked, and somehow it made Sam feel better, so he turned his hand around to squeeze Blaine’s.

“Is it weird that it does help?” Sam joked back, and Blaine smiled fondly at him.

“No, it’s not” Blaine answered, and leaned over to kiss Sam’s cheek, aiming to give him some courage.

“Hey, guys” Mike greeted them, taking the seat next to Sam. “All ready?”

“Why does everyone keep asking that?” Sam groaned, bringing his hands to cover his face, and Blaine just smiled at Mike.

“He’s just a little nervous” Blaine excused him, and Mike nodded, knowingly.

“I understand, I am a little nervous myself” Mike answered, looking at his back in search of Puck, surprised he was not already sitting at his side.

He found him a couple of rows of chairs behind them, sitting next to Sebastian, who was not looking very friendly at the moment. Puck made some gestures with his head, asking him to come with them, but Mike felt bad to leave Sam and Blaine, now that he was sitting with them, and he gestured for Puck to bring Sebastian and sit with them. Puck, though, made it pretty clear that it was impossible, so Mike just sighed, frustrated, and stood up to change his seat.

“Guys, I’ll... I’ll just go there to sit with Puck”

“Why doesn’t he come here?” Sam asked, not really thinking until he turned his head around and his gaze met Sebastian’s full-of-disdain one for a second. “Oh, okay, I get it”

“I’m so sorry, Sam, but Puck and I are just caught in the middle of all this and...”

“Mike, it’s okay” Sam dismissed him gently, fully knowing how difficult it was being for Mike and Puck too. “I understand. Just go, okay? And good luck with the exam”

“I’m sorry, boys” Mike repeated and then he was gone.

Blaine fixed his gaze in Sam’s face for a second, trying to read the feelings inside his head, and he didn’t like what he saw: sadness, incomprehension, even nostalgia at his lost friend. Blaine knew Sam didn’t regret anything that had happened between them, but it still made him feel guilty.

“Are you alright?” Blaine asked, gently resting his hand on Sam forearm so his thumb could trace comforting patterns on his skin.

“Of course” Sam answered with a sweet –yet unconvincing– smile as he covered Blaine’s hand with his own.

“You can’t think about that now, you must concentrate on the exam. We’ll talk about it later, if you want” Blaine offered, and Sam just smiled at him, moved by the worry he saw in Blaine’s eyes.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m okay. I’ve got more important things to think about right now, don’t I?” Sam said, but before Blaine could respond, the teacher arrived and ordered everyone to put their books and notes aside and get their pens ready. Sam and Blaine looked at each other for a second, and then Blaine nodded at him encouragingly, as if telling him that he could do it, and that he trusted him. And somehow that little gesture made Sam believe too, and he knew it was going to be alright.

**********

Blaine was quick to finish his exam, but didn’t move from his place until he felt Sam was about to finish, wanting to offer his silent support and company in case Sam had been serious about it helping him. When he saw Sam was finishing the last part, he stood up and left the classroom, not wanting to make it look suspicious if they finished at the same time, and waited for Sam outside, nervously pacing the floor until he knew how it had gone.

“So?” Blaine asked nervously as soon as Sam came out of the classroom and approached him, but he didn’t obtain any answer –at least, in words–, as Sam just grabbed him impetuously and lifted him from the floor in a bear hug, to which Blaine could only chuckle fondly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you” Sam whispered in his ear, still not loosening the embrace.

“I assume it went well, then” Blaine responded jokingly, and before he could say anything else, Sam’s lips were on his as his hands were cupping his cheeks before he finally lowered him to the ground again.

“It went great” Sam answered at last when the kiss broke, his forehead resting against Blaine’s and his knuckles gently caressing the skin on Blaine’s cheek. “And it’s all thanks to you”

“Well, if I had known how grateful you were going to be, I would have helped you sooner” Blaine joked, eliciting a chuckle from Sam.

“Don’t change the subject! It’s thanks to you I’m going to pass this exam!”

“I think all your studying helped a little too”

“Can you please accept a compliment and leave it there?” Sam joked, with a little bit of truth behind his words.

“Okay, I accept it” Blaine conceded with a wide smile. “I was happy to help, then”

Sam reciprocated his smile and just captured his lips again in a loving kiss, just at the exact moment as Sebastian made his way out of the classroom, having finished his own exam. Sebastian glared at them with a deep resentment in his eyes that didn’t go unnoticed by either one of them when they separated and became aware of his presence. In spite of that, and of the fact that Blaine still wasn’t sure he liked Sebastian very much, he knew how important his friendship was to Sam –even if Sam himself couldn’t see that at the moment because of his anger–, so he had to do something about it. He would do anything to make Sam happy, even if that meant swallowing his pride and his feelings and taking the first step with someone who had deeply hurt him.

“Hey, Sebastian” Blaine said, as friendly as he was able, as he moved away from Sam to approach Sebastian. “How did the exam go?”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve to come and talk to me just like that” Sebastian answered, reproachfully.

“Like what?” Blaine asked, surprised, and he could hear Sam behind him getting all ready to fight Sebastian if necessary. But that was not what Blaine was looking for –it was quite the contrary, actually–, so he took a step to the side to put himself between the other two, making it very clear that he was not expecting Sam to interfere.

“As if nothing had happened” Sebastian clarified.

“Nothing has happened that we cannot mend” Blaine almost implored on Sam’s behalf.

“Easy for you to say, considering it was you who provoked the whole situation in the first place”

“How can you be so...” Sam couldn’t stop himself, his nostrils widening as a warning of the anger building up inside of him, but Blaine stopped him before he could say anything else.

“Sam, please. Let’s keep this friendly, ok?”

“You and I will never be friends again” Sebastian told Sam, pointing his finger at him, before turning to Blaine again. “And you... I better not tell you what I think about you”

“No, you better not” Sam replied, threateningly.

“Then we don’t have anything else to say to each other” Sebastian told them cockily and then turned around and left the hallway without another glance at them.

“I’m sorry” Blaine apologized, turning around to face Sam. “I was just trying to make things better, and all I did was to make it all worse”

Sam took pity on the repentant boy and held both his hands in his, squeezing them lovingly.

“How can you do that? How can you still be so nice and feel sorry for him after what he’s done to you? He doesn’t deserve your kindness”

“I am not doing it for him” Blaine stated, as simple as that, because it was that easy to him.

“Then why? You’re not feeling guilty about this, are you?”

“I just... I just want you to be alright” Blaine mumbled, and Sam finally understood that Blaine was doing it because he thought it was the best for him.

“Oh, you silly thing, come here” Sam told him affectionately, embracing him strongly and squeezing him to his chest. “I knew you had a good heart, but this is just a tat too much”

“No way. I feel horrible for being the cause of you losing your best friend. I want you to be happy”

“That’s where you’re wrong, then. I promise you I’m so much happier since I met you. I want you to understand that I regret nothing. Nothing, okay?” Sam told Blaine, gently grabbing his chin to force him to meet his eyes.

“Okay” Blaine conceded with a smile.

“If Sebastian really is the friend I thought he was, he’ll realize his mistake sooner or later and then, and only then, I’ll be happy to put everything behind us. And if he’s not... then we’re better off without him, don’t you think?”

“When did you become so wise?” Blaine suddenly asked with an adoring smile that made Sam’s heart skip a beat.

“Maybe when you started helping me out with me studies” Sam joked, trying –and failing– not to blush at Blaine’s appraisal.

“I already accepted a compliment today, I’m not accepting any more of them” Blaine joked, and placed a quick kiss on Sam’s lips for good measure.

“Hey, guys” Puck greeted them, as he and Mike made their way towards them. “I was going to ask you how did the exam go, but judging by the expression on your faces, I don’t think that’s necessary”

“It went great” Sam explained anyway, as he felt it was not often he could feel so confident he had made a good exam. “And you?”

“Horrible” Puck answered, though it was clear he couldn’t care less about it.

“Mine was alright” Mike added, throwing a dark look at his best friend. He knew Puck didn’t really care about his studies, but it bothered him when he was so careless.

“So... should we go to the pub for some celebrating pool?” Puck suggested.

“Celebrating? I thought you said your exam went horrible” Blaine asked, still not that aware of Puck’s complete lack of interest in academic issues.

“So? It’s always a good time for a celebration” Puck answered cockily and Blaine lifted his eyebrows in surprise at the answer, looking at Sam for some explanation, but the latter only shrugged his shoulders in response, amused at the situation.

“Should we get Sebastian?” Mike asked, looking around in search of their friend, though he was nowhere to be seen.

“I... I don’t think he’s coming” Blaine answered sadly, and Sam grabbed his hand in his to show him his support.

Puck and Mike immediately understood the situation and didn’t insist on it. After all, it was Sebastian who kept insisting in behaving like a bastard, and they didn’t want to make Blaine or Sam feel bad about it.

“Well, it’s his loss” Puck said dismissingly, not wanting to dampen anyone’s happy spirits. “Should we get going?”

**********

“Ok, let’s make teams” Mike suggested when they were about to start with the pool game. “I think we’ve never seen you play yet, Blaine. Are you any good at it?”

“He’s horrible” Sam answered for him, jokingly.

“Well, thank you!” Blaine answered him, mockingly annoyed, as he playfully nudged Sam’s ribs.

“Well, it’s the truth! So guys, I’ll just sacrifice myself and have him on my team”

“Well, thank you again!” Blaine laughed.

“Aw, Sam, how considerate you are, wanting to team with him just so we don’t have to” Puck sarcastically added, and the other three laughed wholeheartedly at it.

The four of them were having a great time at the pool table when, unknowingly for them, Sebastian entered the pub. He had had the same idea as them, and he was hoping to find Mike and Puck there. What he had not been expecting was for Blaine and Sam to be there too, so now he only had one option: to leave.

Before turning around and leaving the place, annoyed that once again Blaine and Sam had ruined his plans, he stood for a moment where he was just looking at them, not wanting to admit how envious he was of the fun they were all having. Although he couldn’t hear them from where he was, it looked as if Puck was telling some of his silly stories and the other three were laughing along with him as they played. And he could see everything that went between Sam and Blaine. Okay, they were not kissing, or holding hands, or doing anything that would belie their feelings to anyone not knowing about them. But Sebastian could see how Sam would put his hand on Blaine’s shoulder after a particularly good move in their game, how Blaine would sweetly smile at him every now and then, how they winked their eyes at each other whenever they got caught at opposite sides of the table and away from each other.

And that’s how it really hit Sebastian about the difference between what he had wanted with Blaine and what he and Sam had. For Sam it wasn’t a matter of “achieving a goal” or about being with the most beautiful guy. Knowing him, he probably couldn’t care less about it. Just looking at them, you could see how easily they connected. If Sam had only wanted from Blaine what he himself had wanted from him, he would be snogging him and that would be the end of it. Their interactions wouldn’t be filled with tender words, with easy smiles, with affectionate touches here and there. That was the difference: their relationship was based on a deep friendship that had developed into something even deeper. They were two people who cared deeply about each other and then they had found something else. And that was probably why Sam hadn’t been able to stop it. If Sebastian was honest with himself, not Sam or anyone could have stopped him if it had happened to him. And yet Sam had felt guilty. And had apologized. And had tried to explain. And he had punched him in return. Was Puck right and it was him who was being a lousy friend?

And now there he was, watching from a distance his former best friend being happy with his special one. Fortunately, Blaine and Sam were not so absorbed in each other that they couldn’t spend their time with their friends, and apparently both of them and Puck and Mike were having a great time playing pool and being all together. He could have been there with them, but he wasn’t. Only because of his stupid pride and his selfishness, which had made him fight his best friend instead of being there for him in one of the most important moments of his life: falling in love for the first time.

And Mike and Puck were there for both of them. They hadn’t taken part in it as promised, but they had to divide their time between him and the couple. And he had to admit that Blaine seemed quite a likeable lad, whom he also would have made friends with quickly in other circumstances. Heck, hadn’t he tried to make amends with him only a while ago, even if he probably didn’t have any reason to apologize? Why had he ignored his own heart telling him to listen to Blaine and forget about everything happening between them and, once again, he had let his damned pride taken control of him again just because they were kissing? He didn’t even really think half of the hurtful words that had left his mouth, why the hell hadn’t been able to stop them?

And now there they were, having fun without him, going on with their lives without him. And that made him feel really small and alone. But what really hit him was how much he missed his best friend. And he couldn’t stand it.


	12. Chapter 12

Sebastian yawned for what seemed like the hundredth time on his way to the school in that cold December morning. The truth was sleep had not found him until a very late hour the previous night, as he lay awake in bed for hours. Thinking. Wondering. Maybe regretting? Yes, definitely regretting some things. Like the way he had acted with Sam. For God’s sake, he had punched him! He still thought he had the right to be angry, at least at first. After all, he had betrayed him and had not been honest with him. But not to the point of hitting him. And surely not to the point of staying angry for so long. They had both made mistakes. And he missed Sam.

He regretted the way he had treated Blaine too. He had been wrong to kiss him when he clearly was not into it. But what he regretted the most was how he had cared so little about his feelings, telling him he was not interested in having him as a friend. He couldn’t say he missed Blaine, because he hadn’t known him for that long. But he saw how easily he had connected with the others, how they had welcomed him in their little universe and how quickly he had fit into it. And he missed being a part of that.

When he reached the main door stairs, he saw Sam on top of it, apparently waiting for something. For a glorious second, Sebastian thought they had come back in time in some way and Sam was waiting for him, as he had done so many times in previous years. Maybe he missed him too and wanted to make amends. Yes, Sam was not a resentful person by any means, and his big heart had probably pushed him to take the first step, even if Sebastian felt he should be the one doing it. And he was going to, he firmly decided as he started going up the stairs. It was the least he could do.

But then he saw Blaine going out of the copy place and making his way towards Sam with a big smile on his face, which Sam was quick to reciprocate, just as Blaine threw his arms around Sam’s neck and chastely kissed his lips. Sam just put his arms around him in a strong embrace for a second while he melted against the curly-haired guy’s mouth, and then picked Blaine’s hand and together they made it inside the building, completely oblivious to anything else happening around them.

The disappointment Sebastian felt at the scene he had just witnessed was not small. There he was, thinking Sam was waiting for him, and he hadn’t even acknowledged his presence. Maybe he didn’t miss him so much –the smile he had seen in Sam’s face at Blaine’s arrival clearly denied any sadness–. Maybe he didn’t care anymore about getting his best friend back. After all, he had Blaine now, who seemed to fill the void Sebastian had left in Sam’s life too well. As hard as he tried, though, he didn’t have any hard feelings towards Blaine anymore. After all, it was Blaine the only one who had tried to mediate between Sam and him, even if it was only for Sam’s sake. But without even trying to, Blaine had once again stood in their way, just as he had been doing since the first day he arrived. And Sebastian had the nasty feeling he couldn’t compete against him, so he would probably just have to stand aside. And that feeling suddenly made him feel like he was all alone in the world.

**********

“What’s taking the damned teacher so long?” Sam asked impatiently to no one in particular as they sat in the classroom, but Blaine smiled indulgently at him and answered.

“He’ll be here in a second, don’t worry”

“I’m just anxious about the exam’s mark. I guess he will have corrected them, won’t he?”

“Probably. But don’t be nervous about it, you already know it went great”

“Then I’m anxious to see a good mark on a maths exam with my name. I can’t say it’s happened before, to be honest” Sam joked, and Blaine squeezed his hand sympathetically.

“Well, get used to it ‘cause now I know you can do it, I’m not going to let you fall behind again”

“I know you won’t” Sam told him lovingly, and just at that moment, the teacher finally entered the classroom, the exams in his hands ready to be given back, much to Sam’s relief.

“Well, people” the teacher announced as he made it to his table. “Before starting with the class, I will give you back your exams”

Having said that, the teacher started walking around the tables, just giving back each exam to his owner. Blaine was one of the very first to receive it and, as usual, he had gotten a top mark.

“Congrats, Blaine” Sam told him, obviously proud of him. “Though let me tell you it’s not such a big surprise, you little genius”

“Oh, come on, Sam” Blaine dismissed him, embarrassedly. “It’s not that big a deal”

“Isn’t it? Well, it’s going to be to me, it’s not often I see a good mark on a maths exam, that’s for sure”

“Well, you’re surely going to see it this time”

It was then when the teacher placed Sam’s exam in front of him, and the expression in his expectant face changed dramatically: failed.

“How can this be possible?” Sam mumbled, hardly able to speak, and Blaine turned to him worriedly and looked over Sam’s shoulder to see the exam, his face changing instantly as Sam’s had done.

“It must be wrong. Let me see” Blaine asked him, picking the exam from Sam’s hands to compare it with his. “See? This is correct” Blaine said, looking at one of the exercises. “And this one is correct too. I think the teacher just made a mistake”

“Excuse me, Mr. Harris, I think my mark is mistaken” Sam told the teacher, who was still giving out the rest of the exams amongst the students.

“No, it’s the mark you deserve” the teacher answered coldly.

“No, look, this exercise is correct, and this one’s too, and yet you haven’t considered them”

“Be glad I didn’t report you to the headmaster”

“To the headmaster?” Sam repeated in confusion.

“I know perfectly well you copied on the exam” the teacher answered, not even bothering to look at him.

“What? That’s not true” Sam replied indignantly, and he could feel Blaine getting angry at his side too.

“If you think I’m going to believe you made such a good exam on your own, after all your previous disasters, you’ve got another thing coming”

“But that’s not fair! I didn’t copy! I just studied a lot!” Sam protested.

“Yeah, of course you did” the teacher sarcastically replied as he continued giving other exams to their owners.

“That’s not fair” Sam repeated in a whisper, and it was all Blaine needed to get incredibly angry. He had always been very sensitive to any injustice, and if on top of that, it was against Sam… He just couldn’t stand it.

“Did you see him copy?” Blaine asked aloud, making the teacher turn to him in surprise, as Blaine hardly ever spoke in class, much less to put the teacher in question.

“I don’t need to. It’s pretty clear” Mr. Harris answered dismissively.

“So you mean to tell me you’ve always been pressuring him to study more and to try harder, and when he does, you punish him?”

“I don’t see how this is any of your business” the teacher answered, menacingly.

“Blaine, just leave it, it’s not worth it” Sam interrupted, not wanting to cause him any trouble. It was bad enough he had failed yet another exam, no use of taking Blaine down with him.

“Of course it’s worth it! You worked very hard for this!” Blaine answered in a slightly softer voice now that it was directed at Sam, but the teacher still heard it and chuckled arrogantly.

“Yes, I’m sure he did”

“How can you doubt him like that? You didn’t even see him copy!” Blaine protested, getting more and more furious by the minute.

“No, I didn’t, though I’m perfectly sure he did. But okay, I tell you what, to be fair I’ll just make Sam a quick test right now to check if he can really do it on his own”

“Are you asking this to everyone who passed the exam or is it just him?” Blaine asked him, hardly able to control himself.

“The others who passed the exam have my entire trust”

“Oh, and Sam doesn’t?”

“No, because he’s never done such a good exam before”

“He hasn’t copied before either, but you don’t seem to care about that”

“That’s enough!” the teacher threatened Blaine. “I don’t have to explain my decisions to you!”

“You do when you’re being unfair!” Blaine yelled back, and the teacher seemed to be getting angrier too. How did that kid dare to talk to him like that?

“Blaine, please” Sam pleaded for him to stop, and he even grabbed his arm to catch his attention, but Blaine shrugged Sam’s hand.

“Yes, Anderson, you should listen to your friend and shut up now, unless you want me to fail you too” the teacher went on with his threats, as the rest of the class remained in absolute silence, shocked at the scene they were witnessing.

“Oh, so you recognize you fail your students as you please” Blaine added, sarcastically.

“That’s enough, Anderson!” the teacher yelled, but Blaine was too furious to notice how angry the teacher was getting.

“Not until you give Sam the mark he deserves!”

“I said that’s enough!” the teacher yelled, walking fast to Blaine’s place and lifting his hand to hit the table, an action Blaine misread, thinking he was intending to hit him.

“Don’t even dare to touch me!” Blaine yelled as he abruptly stood up to look less vulnerable.

Everyone in the class remained dumbfounded at Blaine’s outburst, not really knowing what to think, as they didn’t think the teacher had any intention to be physically violent towards him, but Blaine really seemed to think so.

“Blaine, I...” Mr. Harris mumbled, thunderstruck himself. “I wasn’t going to hit you, I swear”

Blaine seemed to come out of a trance at the teacher’s words and suddenly realized how he had misunderstood his words and gestures, and how everyone was staring at him, almost as if they were afraid of him. Even Puck and Mike had a strange expression on their faces while looking at him. And of course Sebastian, who had just been proven right of how crazy Blaine was. All of a sudden it was all too much for him, and he grabbed his bag in a tug and ran out of the classroom, completely ashamed of himself.

Sam only hesitated for a second before he himself packed his things and stood up in a hurry.

“I’m sorry” he apologized to Mr. Harris about leaving, but the teacher just nodded at him as if giving him permission to go, and ran out of the classroom with the intention of following Blaine wherever he went.

**********

“Blaine!” he shouted as he ran behind him down the stairs, but if Blaine heard him he didn’t acknowledge it. “Blaine, wait!”

“Sam, go away” Blaine answered, not stopping for a second even to tell him that.

“I’m not going away! I will keep running behind you until you stop!” Sam told him, with every intention to keep his promise.

“Just... leave me alone, please” Blaine responded, and Sam could have sworn he heard some tears in Blaine’s voice.

It wasn’t until he was well outside the school that Blaine started to reduce his speed, and Sam decided to take the chance and made and extra effort to catch up with him. He grabbed Blaine’s arm to make him stop, catching Blaine unawares –as he had not realized Sam was that close to him– and throwing him again in a fit of fury –or fear, Sam couldn’t tell.

“Let go of me!” Blaine yelled at him, struggling to free his arm from Sam’s grip as if he was afraid of him, though to no avail because Sam was not willing to lose sight of him in the condition he was in.

“Blaine! Blaine, calm down! It’s me!” Sam tried to reason with him, as he grabbed his other arm too to stand in front of him and gently shook him to make him react. “I would never hurt you!”

Sam’s voice seemed to finally break through Blaine’s agitated mind and he stopped struggling all of a sudden. Sam then tried to embrace him, but Blaine wasn’t yet ready to be comforted –or imprisoned between his arms– and took a step back, though Sam understood and took no offense in it.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked him, worriedly, as he once again approached him and gently took Blaine’s chin to lift his face and catch his attention.

Blaine needed a second before answering, and then he gulped noticeably and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m sorry I scared you” he apologized, honestly.

Sam cautiously caressed Blaine’s cheek with his knuckles to show him there was nothing to forgive –letting the air he had been holding out in relief when Blaine didn’t reject his touch– and then he took his hand to entwine their fingers together.

“Come” he gently ordered as he tugged Blaine’s hand to get him to a nearby bench, where they both sat in silence.

Blaine seemed to need a moment to compose himself after his breakdown and Sam didn’t want to rush him, so none of them talked for a few minutes. In the end, it was Blaine who broke the silence, and it was almost as if he was coming out of a trance.

“You followed me” Blaine suddenly said, almost surprised to find out.

“Of course I followed you” Sam answered, equally surprised. Did Blaine really think he was going to let him go alone in that state?

“Why?” Blaine looked genuinely confused.

“Because I care about you” Sam answered with no hesitation, as if the question was absurd.

“Really?”

“Yes! Of course really! I thought you knew” Sam answered, trying not to sound too reproachful because he could see Blaine was still a bit upset and not seeing things clearly.

“I don’t know anything” Blaine confessed, his voice shaking, and Sam’s heart broke a little at whatever it was that made Blaine feel like he didn’t deserve to be loved. He tried again to hug him, and this time Blaine didn’t offer any resistance and let himself be engulfed in Sam’s embrace, feeling grateful for those strong arms enveloping him and making him feel warm and secure.

“If you don’t know I’ll be sure to tell you as many times as you need until you understand” Sam whispered in Blaine’s ear. “I care about you. I care about you a lot, more than you can imagine”

“You’re the only one who does” Blaine mumbled in the tiniest voice, almost as if he was talking to himself, but Sam still heard it.

“Then I’ll compensate for everyone else” Sam replied, trying not to burst into tears at Blaine’s obvious pain, fighting against himself not to pressure Blaine to talk about what was hurting him so deeply –he would do that when he was ready, as he had promised a few days ago–. “I promise I’m never going to stop caring about you”

“Even when I go crazy like that?” Blaine asked, with the tiniest hint of humor in his voice.

Sam chuckled fondly and just squeezed Blaine’s body to him more strongly.

“Yes, even then” he told him, and Blaine could see through his teasing that Sam didn’t think he was crazy at all.

Blaine put his own arms around Sam’s body in response, and Sam sighed with relief at having been able to break through Blaine’s protective wall once again.

“Blaine, what happened in there?” Sam dared to ask after a few seconds, and he could have kicked his own shin when he noticed Blaine’s body, that had already started relaxing, tensing again with the question.

“I… overreacted, I’m sorry” Blaine answered if only because he was too well-mannered to leave Sam’s question unanswered.

“You don’t have to apologize, B, I just...”

“Thank you” Blaine simply said, interrupting Sam’s words in a very obvious way that told Sam he was not up to talking.

“For what?”

“For worrying. For coming after me” Blaine explained, even lifting his face to look at Sam’s face for the first time since the whole ordeal. “For caring”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything, Blaine. Do you care about me?” Sam asked, even if he already knew the answer.

“Yes” Blaine simply answered, as there were no words to express how much he cared about Sam, nor Sam needed them to understand.

“Then we’re even. Nothing to thank me for” Sam answered honestly, squeezing Blaine more strongly to his chest once again and planting a loving kiss on his forehead while he decided to stop insisting: Blaine would talk when he was ready, not when Sam told him to, and he had been upset enough for one day. Plus pressuring him too much could end up sending him away again, and Sam was not willing to risk it.

“You’re amazing” Blaine said with the smallest of smiles as he let his head fall on Sam’s shoulder, and the latter’s heart accelerated at the obvious affection Blaine felt for him. An affection that he clearly reciprocated and… that probably deserved to be labeled. So Blaine would be sure that he was going to be there for him, always, no matter what.

“No, you are” Sam answered with a sigh, trying to encourage himself to ask what he wanted to ask. “Listen, I don’t know if it’s the right moment to ask you this, it’s probably not, but... I was wondering if you... if I...” Sam didn’t seem to be able to find the right words, and Blaine broke their embrace slightly to be able to look at his face.

“What is it that you can’t tell me?” Blaine encouraged him gently.

“You know how I feel about you, right?”

“I think so” Blaine answered.

“I was wondering... if you’d want to take a step further”

“Like... dating?”

Sam loudly let the breath he was holding out and smiled, relieved that Blaine had spoken the words he had not been able.

“Yeah. I know we kind of are already, but... we haven’t really discussed it, right? So would you let me be officially your boyfriend?” Sam asked, kind of pitifully, and Blaine could only smile widely, all awkwardness and doubts forgotten, as he gently cupped his cheek.

“Only if you let me be yours” was his response, and he captured Sam’s lips in a kiss that sealed their words.


	13. Chapter 13

The class was over and gone, and Sam and Blaine hadn’t come back yet, so Sebastian was starting to get slightly worried. He supposed it could only be that Blaine was too ashamed to enter the class again with the same teacher after his outburst, but... what if it wasn’t that? What if something had happened to Blaine after he had run away? Would Sam be able to take care of it? And would they both be okay?

At first Sebastian had been surprised at Blaine’s reaction, like everybody else in the classroom. He was sure the teacher had never intended to hit Blaine, but... maybe it had looked different from Blaine’s position. Or maybe Blaine was just a more sensitive person, he didn’t know. What he did know was that the first thing that had come to his mind was he hoped Blaine was okay. Not that he was acting strangely, or that he was half crazy, like he would have thought some days ago. Before he had got to know Blaine a bit better, even if it was from a distance, and had seen that he was a very kind-hearted and level-headed person –in spite of these strange reactions he got sometimes. But who was he to judge him? He didn’t know the reason behind those attitudes. But he knew there was a reason. And he hoped Sam knew it and knew how to help him.

By the looks of it, Sam was very keen on helping Blaine, that’s for sure. After all, he hadn’t hesitated for even a second and had followed Blaine instantly when he had ran away, his failed exam instantly forgotten. And the worry in his eyes... That’s when Sebastian had realized how strongly Sam felt for Blaine and cared about him. Like Sebastian hadn’t cared when he had wanted to date Blaine. Or to have a meaningless fling with Blaine, to be more exact. And suddenly Sebastian didn’t feel any resentment against his best friend. Only understanding. If only Sam would forgive him...

He was so absorbed in his daydreaming as he walked down the corridor after the class that he almost missed Sam, standing alone next to Mr. Harris’s office door. He didn’t seem as worried as before, so he guessed things were not that bad with Blaine. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, Sebastian thought as he sighed loudly to encourage himself.

“Is Blaine okay?” Sebastian asked Sam, and the latter turned to him in surprise.

“Do you really care? Or you just want more ammunition to prove how much of a weirdo he is?” Sam answered coldly.

“No, I... I really care” Sebastian responded quietly, clearly ashamed as he recognized those words from coming out of his own mouth only a few days ago.

“He’s okay now” Sam relented after a moment’s hesitation, apparently giving his former friend the benefit of the doubt.

“Look, Sam, I’ve been thinking about everything that’s happened between us lately and... I’ve realized how wrong I’ve been acting” Sebastian almost smiled when he saw the surprise on his friend’s face, but he went on. “I wanted to say I’m really sorry. I’ll understand if you or Blaine don’t forgive me, but I just needed to tell you that”

“Wait: are you serious?” Sam asked, and the hope that he was being honest Sebastian saw in his eyes made him trust they could still be alright.

“Yes” Sebastian hurried to answer. “You and Blaine are made for each other. It’s so easy to see I don’t know how I couldn’t see it sooner”

“Maybe you were too blinded by anger” Sam answered, and Sebastian could easily see there was no trace of reproach in his voice.

“Probably”

“You kind of had the right to be angry” Sam relented, and Sebastian had to smile at his best friend’s big heart, still trying to justify his behavior after everything he had done.

“But not to punch you” Sebastian reminded him.

“What, you mean that little contact in my chin I didn’t even feel?” Sam joked, and both friends shared a laugh that confirmed any resentment had been left behind.

“I won’t ever again be an obstacle between you and Blaine. I can tell he is very important to you”

“He is” Sam simply answered, glad he could openly talk about it with his best friend. Gosh, he had missed him! “He is… everything to me”

“Maybe someday he’ll give me a second chance too and forget about all the crap I got him through”

“I don’t think that day will be as far away as you think...” Sam promised with a fond smile, thinking about Blaine’s big heart and his ability to forgive and forget.

“You think so?” Sebastian asked hopefully.

“I’m sure of it”

“Is it... is everything alright between us?” Sebastian asked, and the fear mingled with hope Sam could see in Sebastian’s eyes was all the proof he needed to know he had gotten his friend back.

“Yes” Sam simply answered, as no more words were needed, and shook hands with Sebastian in a warm gesture.

“So...” Sebastian tried to change the subject before he burst out crying with emotion. “Where’s Blaine now?”

“He... went to apologize with the teacher for... for what happened”

“He shouldn’t. He was on the right”

“Yeah, I know, but he thinks he overreacted and wants to do things right”

“That’s how he is, isn’t he?” Sebastian said, and Sam was happy to detect some fondness in his voice.

“He sure is” Sam answered, but before he could say anything else, the door next to Sam opened and Blaine appeared.

At first Blaine didn’t notice Sebastian standing there, so he just let himself fall in Sam’s arms, emotionally spent by all that had happened that day, and rested his head in Sam’s shoulder. Sam just took the chance to squeeze him strongly to him, willing to offer all his comfort and support, and kissed his forehead.

“How did it go?” Sam asked him softly, as he slightly rocked both their bodies reassuringly.

“It went very well” Blaine answered, lifting his head to look at Sam, but not really breaking the embrace. “He almost didn’t let me apologize. He said he was the one who was sorry about the whole incident, and that he was the one being unfair. I explained to him how I’ve been studying so hard with you and he is going to give you the mark you deserve”

“What? Really?” Sam asked, but the sweet smile on Blaine’s lips told him he was not joking.

“Of course really! Once he understood why the difference between this exam and your previous ones, there was no reason for him to fail you!”

Sam was so happy about the final resolution of it all that he didn’t know how to express it, so he did the only thing his instincts told him to do and cupped Blaine’s face firmly to attract it to his and captured his lips in a strong kiss that lingered.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Sam mumbled against Blaine’s lips once the kiss broke, as they rested their foreheads together.

“Only to your eyes” Blaine joked, and Sam kissed him again.

“Well, I have a surprise for you too” Sam told him as he let go of his face to gently pick up his hand and turned him around a little to let him see Sebastian, standing right next to them.

“Sebastian?” Blaine asked in surprise, not understanding what he was doing there.

“Hi, Blaine” Sebastian answered with a shy smile, as he noticed the confusion in the other boy’s eyes.

“Does this mean...?” Blaine asked hopefully, looking at Sam for confirmation, and the latter only smiled and nodded in response.

“Yeah, Sam and I just made up” Sebastian explained, trying to figure out what Blaine felt about that, but Blaine’s eyes didn’t belie any emotion at the moment. “I know now how much of an idiot I’ve been, and he was kind enough not to hold it against me”

“Everything’s okay now” Sam confirmed it to Blaine, squeezing his hand, but the latter could still not find the right words to say so Sebastian decided to try again.

“Blaine, I will understand if you don’t ever forgive me, ‘cause I was horrible to you, but I wanted to let you know I am deeply aware of how wrong I acted and… I’m so sorry. And I would love to have you as a friend, if you would still let me”

Sebastian offered his hand shyly at Blaine, hoping against hope he wouldn’t reject it, but knowing he would just have to accept it if it happened. As Sam’s best friend, it was very important to him to have a good relationship with someone so special to the blond, but he knew it was a big chance. After all, he had been horrible to Blaine; he didn’t have the right to ask anything out of him.

So it was a big surprise when Blaine, instead of shaking hands with him, just put his arms around him and embraced him strongly, to which Sebastian could only reciprocate, feeling immensely relieved and happy as he hugged Blaine and watched the pride in Sam’s eyes at the scene. Yes, he liked Blaine for Sam. And as a friend.

“I would be your friend if only for Sam’s sake” Blaine told him even before breaking the embrace, “but the truth is I really want to be it, ‘cause now I can see what you’re made of, and I think it’s worth it”

“I’m going to make it worth it, I swear” Sebastian promised as the embrace broke, and Blaine smiled at him.

“I believe you” Blaine told him, and he couldn’t feel happier as Sam’s arm went around his shoulders in a warm half embrace.

“Hey, Sam, were you getting jealous, or something?” Sebastian joked as he saw how difficult it was for his best friend to stay away from Blaine for even a second, and the blond just smiled fondly in response.

“Kinda, to be honest” Sam joked just before kissing Blaine’s cheek, making him chuckle and put his own arm around Sam’s waist.

“Well, well, well, what’s happening here?” Puck exclaimed when he and Mike reached them and they discovered how different the situation seemed to be from the day before.

“It must be the Christmas spirit” Mike joked as he noticed Blaine and Sam in a half-embrace, talking animatedly with Sebastian, who didn’t seem to mind about them being together.

“Yeah, that must be it” Sebastian joked back, and even though Mike and Puck didn’t know what had happened, suddenly the five of them felt such a peace and a contentment just for being together that they didn’t want the day to end.

“So, what about some pool?” Puck suggested, as usual.

“Well... what do you think, bestie?” Sam joked, turning to Sebastian to playfully slap him on his back, and everyone laughed wholeheartedly at the situation.

“That would be great!” Sebastian readily agreed.

**********

“I thought you wanted to play” Sebastian observed, as Puck and Mike hadn’t moved from their seats in the pub since they had arrived.

“We will, but first I was going to suggest something” Mike told everyone, eliciting their immediate curiosity.

“And what is it?” Puck asked.

“Now that everything seems to be okay again, and that the band still stands... right?” Mike asked hopefully, and both Sebastian and Sam nodded silently at him. “We could play Secret Santa!”

“Mike, really? Aren’t we a bit too old for this?” Puck groaned.

“Come on, it will be great!” Mike insisted, and he was looking so excited about it that none of them had the heart to deny him anything.

“I... I can’t take part in it, I’m sorry” Blaine intervened in a sad whisper, and Sam immediately understood what was happening and took his hand to squeeze it in support.

“Why not?” Mike asked, disappointed his idea was not going to become true.

“I...  I don’t have the money to buy anything” he confessed, blushing with embarrassment, and Sam’s heart went to him as his hand found his way to the small of Blaine’s back.

“How about if we don’t buy anything?” Sebastian offered, also feeling bad for the boy, who seemed to be permanently broken. “How about if we have to make the gifts or give something we already have and means a lot to us? It looks more meaningful like this, doesn’t it?”

“Oh my God, Seb!” Mike exclaimed excitedly. “That’s the best idea ever!”

“You don’t have to do that, boys” Blaine told them, though extremely grateful at them. “You can play without me”

“And what’s the sense in that? The great thing about Secret Santa is to involve a group of people which are important to each other, isn’t it?” Mike explained, and Blaine suddenly found himself speechless, so grateful he was towards his friends.

“Well, it’s decided then” Sam intervened, trying to get the focus out of his boyfriend to give him some time to compose himself, as he could feel he was quite moved. “Should we write our names down so we can see who gets whom?”

And so they did, and soon the five names were spread across the table in little paper pieces, and everyone of them picked up one, with the promise no one would know about the others’ until last day of term, when they would give away their gifts after class.

Soon after that, the boys said their goodbyes to the each other and started their way home, as it was getting quite late. As usual, Sam decided to accompany Blaine home, something the latter would never refuse, and they walked side by side, their hands entwined together, talking about silly things and just enjoying each other’s company.

“So, who did you get for Secret Santa?” Sam asked nonchalantly after a while.

“Sam, honey, there’s a reason it’s called _Secret_ Santa” Blaine answered with a smile.

“Yeah, but it’s me. You’re going to tell me, right?”

“No, of course not”

“Hey, now I’m your boyfriend you’re not supposed to keep secrets from me”

“I don’t think _this_ applies to that rule”

“Come on, don’t be such a spoilsport” Sam pleaded playfully.

“Me? It’s you who’s trying to ruin the game!” Blaine answered in mocking annoyance.

“How is this ruining it? I’m not going to tell anyone else”

“But you’re not supposed to know yourself”

“I got Mike. See? I told you and nothing happened”

“No! Come on, why did you?” Blaine groaned in reproach.

“To show you it’s okay that we know each other’s Secret Santa. So who did you get?”

“I’m serious, I’m not telling you”

“You are really not going to tell me?”

“Of course really!”

“I can’t believe you let me tell you mine and now you’re not telling me yours!” Sam groaned, stopping in front of Blaine to stop his walking and to look angry, but he was obviously not successful, as Blaine still laughed.

“I didn’t want to know! The only one to blame here is your enormous mouth” Blaine reproached him playfully pointing his finger at Sam’s face in accusation.

“You love my mouth” Sam joked, lovingly grabbing Blaine’s finger to hold his hand in his.

“Yeah, I do” Blaine chuckled and then threw his arms around Sam’s neck and kissed him, just to show him how much he loved his mouth indeed.

“You’re so beautiful” Sam whispered lovingly as the kiss broke and Blaine chuckled again.

“I’m still not telling you”

“Damn it!” Sam exclaimed indignantly, and Blaine laughed aloud at his boyfriend’s antics, as his own hand went inside his pocket to unconsciously caress what was lying there: a tiny white paper with Sam’s name on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the Christmas shit but, as you know, I'm rewriting this story from an old one, so... I hope it doesn't put you off too much!!


	14. Chapter 14

“And what was the sense in staying out in the cold again?” Sebastian asked, feigning heavy shivering as the five of them were sitting in the grass, in Blaine’s favorite secluded part of the schoolyard that he had decided to share with them.

“It’s not for the cold, Seb. It’s just about being outside every now and then, and not always locked up in buildings” Blaine explained, as it had been his idea to spend their free time there. “I like to take advantage of the sun, you don’t know how much it recharges your batteries”

“That’s a great and valid argument at summer, but let me have my doubts about it in December” Sebastian complained good-naturedly.

“You young people don’t know how to appreciate the good things in life” Blaine joked, and the others smiled at him.

“Whatever, but I need a hot coffee” Mike added with a chuckle, already standing up. “Someone else coming?”

“I’m coming” Puck offered. “My butt is so cold that I could make ice with it”

“I’m coming too” Sebastian intervened, before turning to Sam and Blaine. “What about you, guys?”

“I think I’ll just stay here a while more” Blaine answered, politely. There were few things he loved more than being out in the open, and he was not ready to enter the building again.

“Sam?” Sebastian asked, although he already knew the answer.

“I’ll stay too” Sam answered.

“Somehow I already knew you were going to say that” Sebastian joked, and both Blaine and Sam chuckled as they looked at each other. “See you guys later, then”

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Sam asked Blaine after the other three were gone, as even though he was sitting next to him, he seemed to be miles away.

Blaine came out of his reverie instantly at being summoned by his boyfriend, and gave him a big smile that warmed Sam’s heart with its honesty.

“Yeah, I’m okay” Blaine answered, subconsciously moving to sit even closer to Sam as he suddenly shrugged with cold. “I was just thinking. Just two more days until the end of term and I still don’t know what I’m going to give my Secret Santa” Blaine pouted playfully.

“Don’t expect me to help, when you haven’t even told me who it is” Sam answered, and had to chuckle at the mocking indignation on Blaine’s face.

“Aren’t we a bit resentful?” Blaine reproached him playfully.

“You know I would gladly help, but I can’t do anything without knowing who is it for...”

“You are not going to stop until I tell you, right?”

“Right”

“Well, I’m still not going to tell you”

“Then I’m not going to stop”

“Urgh!” Blaine protested, but he was clearly amused by the situation.

“Let me guess... so you started thinking about it after we were all together... Oh, so that must mean it was someone who was here...” Sam joked.

“You’re so clever...” Blaine replied, sarcastically. “Of course he was here!”

“Aha! So we know it’s a _he_ ”

“Sometimes I don’t know how I stand you” Blaine protested with a heartfelt laugh, and Sam chuckled amusedly as he put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders to bring him to him and kiss his cheek. But Sam saw Blaine involuntarily flinch when his arm made contact with the back of his boyfriend’s neck, even if he quickly tried to hide it, and Sam immediately worried.

“What’s wrong, love?” Sam asked, trying not to look too concerned.

“Nothing, why?” Blaine tried to feign normality, but Sam knew better.

“Nothing? Come on, Blaine, I saw you flinch when I touched you, as if it hurt”

“No, you just thought you did” Blaine tried to dismiss his boyfriend, but Sam was having none of it.

“Yeah, okay, whatever you say” Sam sarcastically answered as he moved to kneel behind Blaine before the latter could do anything to stop him and carefully lifted the collar of his jacket to see if everything was okay. He couldn’t help but gasp in surprise at seeing the skin there covered by a deep and wide bruise. “What the hell happened to you? And why did you tell me it was nothing?” Sam admonished Blaine carefully brushing the damaged area with gentle fingers.

“Because it’s not that big a deal” Blaine dismissed him, moving a bit away from his boyfriend’s reach to stop him from looking at the offending injury.

“It looks very painful to me” Sam insisted, sitting down again in front of Blaine. “How did that happen?”

“You know how clumsy I am, right?” Blaine answered with a chuckle, trying to make light of the situation. “A total disaster! I was walking out of the shower and...”

“That was your father, wasn’t it?” Sam interrupted, a little more forcefully than he would have wanted, but Blaine’s attempts to defuse the situation were starting to annoy him.

“What? What does my father have to with this?” Blaine answered, apparently surprised at Sam’s accusations.

“You remember what you promised to me once, do you?” Sam answered, trying to remain calm so he wouldn’t send Blaine into the defensive and have him build that characteristic protective wall around himself Sam knew so well.

“What?”

“That you would explain everything to me someday. We’ve been together for weeks. I think the day has come, Blaine”

“I don’t know what ideas you’re getting into that head of yours about my father, but...”

“Yes, you know what ideas I have, even if you haven’t told me about it. I know there’s something big in your life that has a very deep effect on you, and I know it has to do with your father”

“Well, of course there’s something big affecting me. Maybe you have forgotten my mother died only a few months ago, that my brother disappeared and now I have to live with someone I don’t get along with. Isn’t it enough to be affected?” Blaine asked him, obviously not comfortable with so many questions.

“Of course it is, sweetie” Sam answered patiently while taking Blaine’s hand into his, trying to keep the situation –and Blaine– under control. “And you don’t know how sorry I am about it all. But I don’t think that’s the end of it and...”

“And what? Come on, say what you want to say” Blaine dared him when Sam hesitated.

“I think your father... abuses you” Sam whispered, finding it very hard to say those words, so big was the pain they made him feel. “I think he hits you sometimes”

“Oh, come on, I can’t believe you’re thinking that” Blaine protested, pretending to be astonished at Sam’s words, but the latter knew him better than that and knew he was not being honest.

“And what do you want me to think? Every now and then you appear with some bruise you don’t know how to explain. You’re insecure, sometimes you get scared for no reason, you find it very hard to accept people caring about you...”

“If I’m so incredibly weak and difficult, I don’t know what the hell you’re doing being with me” Blaine retorted angrily, and he untangled his hand from Sam’s light grip to stand up and leave, though Sam was quick enough to get on his feet too and gently grab his arm to prevent it.

“Please, don’t get angry” Sam pleaded, hating to insist on something that obviously upset his boyfriend so much but knowing he had to do it in order to get the full picture. “You’re getting me all wrong, sweetheart. I never said you were weak or difficult. You know you’re just beautiful and perfect to me. It’s not you who I’m judging, can’t you see it?”

“Who are you judging then?” Blaine asked, more calmly.

“The person making you feel so worthless. The person hurting you so much, in and out. And I think that’s your father. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not” Blaine admitted in defeat, his voice only a whisper, and Sam’s heart broke at the sadness emanating from his boyfriend, but he knew he had to get him to talk. He needed to know.

“Can we talk about it? Please? I need to know”

“Ok, the bruise was because of him, but he didn’t give me that injury, at least not directly. He just... We fought and he got angry and pushed me a little more forcefully that he intended and I fell, so I hit the coffee table...”

“Son of a bitch” Sam couldn’t help but to exclaim angrily.

“It was an accident, okay? It’s not like he did it on purpose” Blaine pleaded for Sam to believe him and to let it be, but Sam was much more stubborn than that.

“As when you tripped over the carpet?” Sam pointed out meaningfully, not taking his eyes off of Blaine’s to see his reaction.

Blaine didn’t know how to answer to that one, so he just remained in silence, looking at Sam pleadingly. In his eyes Sam could see a mixture of guiltiness about not having been honest with him and apprehension at the same time that Sam seemed to have discovered his secret. Sam, not being able to stand seeing so many negative emotions in his boyfriend’s eyes, just hurried to embrace him, gently caressing the hair on the back of Blaine’s head.

“Sweetie, it’s okay, I swear I’m not judging you. It’s him I would like to throttle, believe me. To think you have to live with him...”

“It’s nothing I can’t take” Blaine answered, not breaking the embrace so he didn’t have to look at Sam, because he knew those words were not going to be enough for him.

“You shouldn’t be having to _take_ anything, Blaine. Don’t get the idea that this is normal or, for God’s sake, that you deserve it, because it’s not like that”

“It doesn’t matter, though, does it? Whatever I think, at the end of the day I still get to go home with him. It’s easier to think I deserve it. It’s much more easier to take it this way”

Sam sighed as he fought against the tears threatening to fall from his own eyes, not really knowing what to answer to that. He had never felt luckier about the family he had than he did in that moment. And there was Blaine, an amazing, kind-hearted boy, living in a hell just because he had to. And on top of it, being made believe he had to take it because he deserved it. And the only thing Sam could do was to hold him strongly, trying to make him feel a bit better, even if it was only for a few seconds.

“It’s only a few more months” Blaine took him out of his reverie, and Sam couldn’t believe it was him who was trying to comfort Sam and not the other way around. “In July I’ll turn eighteen, and I’ll be gone in a heartbeat”

“And meanwhile I just have to stand and watch and pray nothing will happen?” Sam protested. “What if he really hurts you someday?”

“Yes, you have to stand and watch because there’s nothing you can do and I don’t want you to get involved in this in any way. Besides, he’s hit me a couple of times, yes, but it’s not that bad; it’s not like he beats the hell out of me, and it’s not going to get worse as long as I stay out of his way”

“I just... I can’t stand this. Now every time you go home I’ll be wondering if you’ll be okay”

“Then don’t, honey” Blaine tried to reassure him brushing his knuckles against the skin on Sam’s cheek. “That’s why I didn’t want you to know. I swear to you it’s not that bad. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me, please”

“That’s like asking the Sun not to shine” Sam answered with a humorless chuckle, and Blaine smiled sweetly at him.

“It’s only a few more months” Blaine repeated, trying to lift Sam’s face by putting his fingers under his chin, so he would look at him. And when he did, Blaine discovered so much love there that he almost had to look away by the intensity of it.

“You know what? I’ll be eighteen since May so I’ll... I might just go with you. If you want me to” Sam suggested, afraid Blaine would want to start from scratch and forget about everything he was leaving behind. But the impossibly wide smile that appeared in Blaine’s lips at his words clearly said something else, and Sam’s heart started fluttering like crazy at the prospect of him and Blaine being together for good.

“I wouldn’t go anywhere without you” Blaine’s voice broke slightly, and Sam lost no time in throwing his arms around him and squeezing him tightly to his chest as he slowly kissed him, putting all the emotions he felt for him in that kiss.

**********

Blaine knew it was strange feeling this happy. At least, he never did while at home, as he surely had no reason to. But in spite of everything, he felt strangely relieved after having confessed his big secret to Sam, as if a huge weight had been lifted of his shoulders. And he couldn’t stop a big smile slowly spreading across his lips when he remembered Sam’s words. _I might just go with you. If you want me to_. He couldn’t stop his heart beating like crazy whenever he thought about the wonderful new life that would start in July...

And now, all of a sudden, he had found the perfect present for his Secret Santa.

**********

“So” Sebastian said as he rubbed his hands together expectantly, “who’s going to go first?”

The last day of school before the Christmas holidays had finally arrived, and they were sitting in their favorite club after class, ready to start their Secret Santa game. Everyone was pretty excited with it –everyone except maybe Puck, who still thought it was a childish game– and had put a lot of thought in the perfect gift for their friends.

“I think Mike should go first” Puck suggested sarcastically, “as he was the one having the great idea”

“It is a great idea!” Mike added, indignantly. “Maybe you should go first to have it done and gone with, because I can tell you couldn’t care less about it”

“Ok, don’t argue, I’ll start” Sam offered, trying to avoid any senseless fighting, and carefully produced the box he had been carrying in a bag to leave it on the table, in front of Mike.

“Is that for me?” Mike asked, obviously excited.

“Of course it is. Otherwise I wouldn’t have left it in front of you” Sam answered, amused.

“And what is it?”

“Opening it may help you solve the mystery” Sam joked, and he grinned as Mike instantly started ripping the paper without standing on ceremony and pulled a strange and heavy trophy.

“What is this?” Mike asked with a smile, obviously loving every second of their little game, even if he didn’t know what the hell was whatever he was holding in his hands.

“Well, that’s the athletics trophy I won three years ago, you remember? You were always faster than me, but that day you were ill and I won. By the end of it you were practically crying, but I was so proud of beating you that I didn’t care that much. So now I’m giving this back to its rightful owner. Even if you didn’t win that time, you were always better than me”

“Aw, Sam, that’s so great! It means a lot, thank you!” Mike thanked him, and he stood up to hug his friend warmly.

“Oh, please, that’s exactly what I feared was going to happen” Puck groaned, rolling his eyes, as he was not so fond of tender, meaningful moments.

“Okay, you’re being so incredibly stupid with this that I almost don’t feel like giving you this, but well, it’s Christmas...” Mike said, handing Puck his gift. “So here you are”

“Oh, okay” Puck answered. “Now you’ve made me feel guilty”

“As you should” Mike answered, nodding pointedly.

“I’m sorry” Puck apologized, though it was obvious that he was more interested in unwrapping his present. His mouth fell open in surprise at finding that Mike had given him his favorite vest. “Mike!”

“Merry Christmas” Mike told him with an honest smile, all annoyance forgotten.

“But how can you give me that?” Puck asked in amazement. “That’s your favorite vest”

“Well, aren’t you the one always borrowing it?”

“Yeah, and you are the one never letting me, arguing that I would stretch it”

“Yeah, well, now it’s yours, so you can stretch it as much as you want”

“But you love it!”

“And that’s what Secret Santa is about”

“Thank you” Puck told him, more moved by Mike’s gesture that he would care to admit.

“I bet now the game doesn’t look like such a silly thing”

“No, I’m sorry, it doesn’t. Thank you so much, Mike”

“You’re welcome, Puck”

“Okay, so now it’s Puck’s turn” Sebastian intervened.

“Alright, I can see now that my gift doesn’t match up to the rest, maybe I should leave it and give you something else another day, Seb”

“Are you my Secret Santa? Oh, great, trust my good luck you had to pick up my name” Sebastian groaned.

“No, no, it doesn’t work like that. You have to give your gift now” Sam intervened, highly amused by the situation.

“Yes, I want my gift” Sebastian intervened.

“Okay, but don’t blame me if you don’t like it” Puck surrendered, before placing something in Sebastian’s hand, which only resembled a present because it had a little bow on it.

“Gum? You’re giving me gum?” Sebastian asked, not believing what he was seeing.

“Well, you said it had to be something we already had and that it meant a lot to us. And you know how much I love gum, so...” Puck excused himself with a grin, obviously not that sorry.

“You’re lucky it’s Christmas, otherwise...” Sebastian threatened.

“I knew you were not going to take it seriously” Mike lamented, and for once it made Puck feel a bit guilty.

“I’m sorry” Puck apologized, more sincerely this time. “I promise next year I’ll do better”

“You owe me a decent present” Sebastian reproached Puck.

“Maybe if I get your name again next year...”

“Puck!”

“Come on, Seb, it’s your turn” Sam told him, trying hard not to laugh.

“Okay. Before I give my present away, though, I wanted to say how glad I am to be that person’s Secret Santa, because it gives me the chance of showing him how much all of this means to me. Merry Christmas, Blaine” Sebastian said, turning to Blaine.

Blaine gave Sebastian one of his million dollar smiles as he squeezed his hand in a friendly gesture before picking up the present Sebastian was holding for him. Blaine didn’t remember feeling this happy for a long time, sitting there next to his boyfriend and surrounded by wonderful friends that had made it so easy for him to be a part of their world. He was so happy he felt like crying, and he knew Sam could feel it, as his hand immediately went to Blaine’s knee and squeezed it lovingly.

“Okay, having said that, I have to warn you that what’s inside this box was an idea of a bunch of silly twelve year-old boys so please, don’t laugh too much about it” Sebastian warned, and Blaine couldn’t wait to know what it was, so he chuckled and quickly opened the tiny envelope he found in the box. His eyes shone with laughter and fondness when he started reading.

“ _Blaine Anderson,_ _member of The Lima Rescuers, the best gang of superheroes_. What is that?” he asked, trying hard to contain his excitement –and his laughter.

“Oh my God” Sam groaned, as he suddenly remembered about it.

“I can see Sam now remembers about this” Sebastian observed with a laugh.

“Remembers and is deeply embarrassed about it” Sam joked, playfully pouting.

“When we were twelve or so we thought we were so special that we founded this club only the four of us were members of. We called ourselves _The Lima Rescuers_ because we were supposed to be superheroes whose mission was to help people and save them and all that stuff. Each of one had our own alter ego and we even made memberships cards like yours for each one of us. See? With our name, our photo.... I’m the Flash, for example, and I seem to remember Sam was something like the _blond lizard_ or something like that”

“Please, it’s the blond chameleon!” Sam intervened in mocking outrage that his majestic name had been confused.

“Oh right, how could I forget” Sebastian added with a laugh –that immediately mirrored in the others– before he turned to Blaine again. “I didn’t know what powers you’d want, but I thought _Nightbird_ could be a cool alias. You can change it if you don’t like it, but you’ll have to sign the card to be valid” he joked.

“Shit, Seb, there was no need to bring that up after all these years” Puck groaned, embarrassedly.

“Of course there was! Now Blaine is officially one of us too! Now that we know you’re a superhero too, there is no way out of this for you either!” Sebastian kindly joked, winking his eye at their new member, who smiled in return, not really knowing what to say, so moved he was.

“Seb, does that mean you’re still keeping your card?” Puck asked.

“You bet I do! Hey, it meant a lot to me!”

“I didn’t know you were so sentimental” Puck observed.

“And I didn’t know none of you were. So really none of you still keep it?”

“I do” Sam confessed.

“Okay, so do I” Mike mumbled embarrassedly.

“Oh my God” Puck groaned.

“And I’m sure Blaine will keep his too” Sebastian said.

“Rest assured I will” Blaine promised while carefully placing it in his wallet, and Sebastian could tell he was not joking, as he was obviously very moved by the gesture. “This means a lot to me, Seb”

“I’m so glad” Sebastian answered with an honest smile.

“Ok, someone say something before these two start crying, please” Puck joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but he received a slap on the back of his neck, by courtesy of Sam that time.

“We better continue with the game. So now that my gift was given, that only leaves… oh, what a happy coincidence!” Sebastian joked at realizing it would be Blaine giving his gift to Sam.

“Oh my God, really?” Sam asked Blaine for confirmation, and the latter only nodded, smiling embarrassedly. “Now I get why you didn’t want to tell me your Secret Santa”

“What? So you were cheating?” Puck accused him.

“I wouldn’t have told him anyway” Blaine defended himself.

“Somehow I totally believe it” Sam joked back with a fond smile, as Blaine finally placed a tiny but beautiful box in the table, in front of his boyfriend.

“Here’s your gift. Hope you like it” Blaine told him, shrugging his shoulders shyly.

“Wow, that’s small” Sam observed with a playful smile, that Blaine only reciprocated, not offering any more explanation, as he was anxious at seeing Sam’s face when he opened it.

“Gosh, don’t tell me it’s an engagement ring, please” Puck groaned playfully, making Sebastian and Mike laugh wholeheartedly and Blaine and Sam blush.

“Shut up, you moron” Blaine ordered, but couldn’t help but smile too after a few seconds.

Meanwhile, Sam was totally concentrated in the little object in front of him. He knew it was only a gift, just a silly game for Christmas, but somehow he sensed it was not going to be a present he would easily forget. So with one last curious glance at his boyfriend, who only smiled anxiously at him, he grabbed the box and carefully unknotted the bow that kept the box closed.

Sam knitted his brow in confusion at what he found there: a key. A plain, common, normal key with a chain that seemed to be at great distance of being a good present. But then he noticed a blue paper lying underneath it, fully written with Blaine’s beautiful handwriting, and he picked it up to read it, his hands trembling from anticipation.

_“Dear Secret Santa: I bet you’re wondering about this strange gift. Let me tell you something: this is not a real key, as it doesn’t open any door. It’s not a magical key either, as it won’t take you to a mysterious land behind a wardrobe. But it’s a symbolic key. And do you know what it opens? It opens our future together. It’s the key to finding our own way because, if you really want it too, I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without you. My gift for you today is my future, because my present was already yours from day one. I love you, Sam”_

When Sam’s eyes left the note to look at the one who had written those wonderful words, they were shining with unshed tears, so big was the emotion warming his heart. Blaine just smiled shyly at him, not so far from tears himself, while his hands wouldn’t stop moving in anxiousness.

“Guys, please, just get a…” Puck started, but Mike’s hand quickly covered his mouth to shut him up.

“Don’t you dare” Mike, always the romantic, kept Puck from ruining the moment with one of his usually inappropriate comments.

“Do you really mean it?” Sam asked Blaine, forgetting for a second everything and everyone around them, focusing only in the most important person in his life.

“You know I do” Blaine answered, picking Sam’s hand to hold it between both of his.

“Everything?” Sam wanted to make sure.

“Every word of it” Blaine answered with a loving smile, fully knowing Sam was refereeing to the I-love-you part.

In an impulse Sam gently grabbed the back of Blaine’s head and kissed him strongly, wanting to make sure Blaine understood how much his words had meant to him, and how much did he agree with them.

“I love you” Sam whispered to him as he rested his forehead against Blaine’s once the kiss broke, his hand still caressing Blaine’s hair in a loving gesture.

“I love you” Blaine repeated lovingly, as there was no need for more words.


	15. Chapter 15

Sam happily whistled as he walked down the street on his way to pick Blaine up. Since Blaine had given him the key that now hung from his neck in a chain as a gift and had told him that he loved him, it was all Sam could do not to spend the whole day with a stupid smile in his face. Just a few more months... and they would be able to put all those bad things behind them and start their new life together, depending only on themselves and each other. The only way to get the goofy grin off of his face was to think they still had to wait that long. God, how he missed his beautiful boyfriend the second they were not together... And he couldn’t forget Blaine was not in a good position until then.

He deeply sighed as he took his mobile out of his pocket to warn Blaine he was already at his building’s door. _Babe, I’m here. Can’t wait to see you_ , he wrote in a message and sent it. He had not completely put his phone on his pocket again when the door opened abruptly.

“Hi, sweetie” Sam greeted him happily the second Blaine was out of the door, but the latter didn’t lose any time with words and threw his arms around Sam’s neck to lock him in a strong embrace as he kissed him passionately. So he had missed him as much as Sam had. Sam was surprised at first, but he quickly recovered and returned the kiss, his arms enveloping Blaine’s waist to bring him even closer.

“Hi to you too, love” Blaine answered with an embarrassed smile, panting for breath when the kiss finally broke, though he kept his arms around his boyfriend’s neck.

“And what was that about?” Sam asked as he tenderly put Blaine’s hair behind his ear.

“Nothing, just... that I love you. And loving you makes me very happy” Blaine answered honestly, blushing a little at his own exuberance.

“Well, it makes me happy too. You loving me, I mean” Sam joked, and chuckled at Blaine’s playful pouting.

“And you don’t want to add anything to that?” Blaine pleaded teasingly.

“Let me think... no, I think that’s all”

“You bastard”

Sam couldn’t contain the laughter anymore and he squeezed Blaine to his chest in a rush of love.

“You don’t need me to say it to know I love you too, right?”

“No” Blaine shook his head with a smile, and Sam could tell he was telling the truth, “but it’s nice to hear it all the same”

“Ok, then I love you too”

“How spontaneous of you... but thank you anyway” Blaine said with a grateful kiss to the tip of Sam’s nose.

“Shall we get going? We want to make the most of our day” Sam suggested, as he finally broke the embrace but took Blaine’s hand instead to entwine their fingers together as they started walking. “So... everything okay?” Sam asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah, great” Blaine answered with a wide smile, confused at the question.

“I mean... at home. Nothing happened?”

“Ok, love, you really have to stop worrying about it” Blaine answered, understanding what Sam meant immediately and feeling guilty that it had been him throwing that weight over his shoulders.

“I can’t help it! Every time I leave you at home I feel like I’m abandoning you or leaving you to your fate”

“Okay, first: you’re not doing any of those things. And second: you can’t be continually thinking something is going to happen. Hey, most of the time my father and I don’t even talk. Believe me, nothing is going to happen. Stop worrying, please, or you’ll end up crazy and there’s enough with one of us being crazy” Blaine joked, aiming to get a smile from his boyfriend, but he didn’t succeed.

“You’re not crazy” Sam told him, without a bit of humor in his voice.

“I was only joking, Sam. I know what you think of me”

“Then stop saying those things, please. I don’t like it when you underestimate yourself like that”

“I’m sorry. But come on, please, let’s not start the afternoon in a bad mood. Today is supposed to be great, isn’t it? I’m going to be a part of the band, finally!” Blaine changed subjects, excitedly looking forward to see and listen what the guys were able to do. Sebastian had organized a band meeting in his garage, and they would take the chance to show everything to its new member.

“Yes, it’s going to be great” Sam let himself be absorbed by Blaine’s obvious enthusiasm. “At last I’ll be able to rest and let you do all the work”

“I still haven’t seen what you lot are up to, though. Maybe I won’t be interested in being a part of it”

“Oh, you will, believe me”

“You’re that good, then?”

“Not really. But we have so much fun whenever we try to sound like music that you will definitely want to be a part of it”

“I would want to if only to spend more time with you” Blaine said while shyly shrugging his shoulders, making Sam fondly smile at how adorable his boyfriend was.

“And I can’t wait to hear your beautiful voice again” he answered, squeezing Blaine’s hand. “I have to say it turned me on quite a lot the other time”

“You pervert, I was only singing”

“It’s obvious you haven’t seen yourself while doing it, if you don’t know the effect you have when singing and dancing. Well, you have that effect mostly always, but especially when dancing”

“You’re biased” Blaine answered with a loud laugh that immediately warmed Sam’s heart.

“Maybe, but I think most of the people that were there that day would agree with me”

“If I look so good when dancing, and you clearly look so good when dancing, the two of us together must be a really good show!” Blaine joked.

“I can’t wait to try again” Sam said seductively, pulling Blaine’s hand to attract him to him and kissed his cheek.

“But not in front of the boys, though. We’ll have to find a more private time and place to _dance_ together” Blaine answered, playfully winking his eye at Sam, who just stopped dead in his tracks.

“Do you mean what I think you mean?” Sam started, but Blaine just laughed and interrupted him.

“Look, there are the boys!” he exclaimed, pulling Sam’s hand to rush him towards their friends.

“You bastard, this is not over!” Sam whispered to him, making Blaine chuckle all over again.

“Hello, guys!” Blaine pointedly ignored Sam with a mischievous smirk and greeted the other three, who were already waiting for them.

“Hi, boys. So what, Blaine, ready to discover a whole new world?” Mike asked him, playfully.

“Yes, your world won’t ever be the same again after you’ve listened to us” Puck added.

“Don’t scare him!” Sebastian reprimanded them while opening the door to his garage. “We really need him, especially for the singing department. You know, there’s a limit to listening to Mike’s singing out of tune without going crazy...”

“Hey!” Mike protested, and the others just laughed at his indignant expression.

“So this is it” Sebastian introduced proudly his space to Blaine, once the door was open.

Blaine stood dumbfounded, rooted to the floor, as he visually analyzed everything in that room. It was like a little recording studio, with its own modest mixing desk, a piano, some drums, a bass and a couple of guitars, plus a big open space where he supposed they rehearsed.

Sam smiled at his boyfriend’s amazement and gently pushed him in with a hand to the small of his back, glad to see that, even if he couldn’t do anything about his problems, he could at least provide these little moments of happiness to his boyfriend’s life.

“Surprised?” Sam asked him fondly.

“Amazed” Blaine answered with a wide smile. “I have to confess that when you lot talked about the band I thought it would be something much more amateur. This is...”

“Awesome?” Sebastian asked him, with a grin. “I know, I am awesome”

“And modest” Sam added, before his eyes turned to watch Blaine with a fond smile as the latter moved around the room lightly brushing his fingers along every single instrument, as if he wanted to keep a physical memory with his hands of everything in that room.

“Yes, that too” Sebastian joked. “So Blaine, you told me you could play guitar?”

“Yeah, a little” Blaine answered absentmindedly, as he carefully picked one of the guitars and his fingers brushed the strings, making them sound. “Though what I really love is the piano”

“Well, that’s great, because none of us really know how to use this thing and it’s been getting dust since my parents bought it for us” Sebastian joked as he gently pushed the younger boy towards the piano so he could see it from a closer distance, making him see how much they wanted him to be a part of the band, and elicited a grateful smile from Blaine. “So do you want us to show you one of our songs?”

“Yes, please. I would love to hear it” Blaine almost pleaded, as he sat down on the piano’s stool to conveniently enjoy what he was going to hear.

“What about the last one I wrote, boys?” Sebastian suggested, already moving to switch on the whole equipment.

“Well, seeing as you are already on the mic and with the bass in your hands, I guess you didn’t leave much room for us to decide” Puck protested good-naturally, as he and Sam took the guitars and Mike sat behind the drums.

When the first notes of the song filled the garage thanks to Sam’s skilled fingers, Blaine had to fight to keep his mouth closed, such was the need to open it in surprise. He had never expected them to be this good, and his excitement about being a part of it couldn’t get any bigger.

Then Sebastian accompanied the melody of the guitar with his soft voice and beautiful lyrics and Blaine listened to it, transfixed by the beautiful sound. And when Sam’s voice joined Sebastian’s with some harmonies, looking at Blaine intently while he sang as if he was pronouncing each word only for him, it was all he could do not to start crying of emotion right then and there.

Finally Puck and Mike joined in too for the chorus, and as Blaine sat there, listening to the beautiful music the four friends were making, he suddenly felt a powerful urge to participate in it, so his fingers moved on their own accord to the piano in front of him and he started softly pressing some keys to accompany the main melody. The other boys all turned their heads to him, surprised at the nice adding to their song, and Sebastian nodded at him as he appreciated Blaine’s playing.  He was clearly the best addition to the band they could have wished for.

“Oh my God!” Sebastian exclaimed happily the second the music was over, turning to Blaine. “That was amazing! Where have you been hiding all this time?”

“Me? How about you, guys?” Blaine asked back. “That was amazing!”

“Aren’t we?” Puck intervened.

“How come you are not famous yet?”

“I guess it’s just because we haven’t been discovered yet” Puck answered cheekily.

“Well, I’m sure being this good, someone will discover you sooner or later”

“Us” Sebastian corrected him, eliciting a big smile from both Sam and Blaine.

“Us” Blaine repeated. “So guys, I’m sure you must have mentioned it before, but... what’s the name of the band?”

“We probably didn’t mention it” Mike answered.

“You know why? Because we don’t have a name” Puck added.

“You don’t?” Blaine asked in total surprise.

“No, every time we try to decide how to name ourselves we end up arguing over it and we have to leave it there” Sam answered, and all of them chuckled, somewhat agreeing.

“Which are the options you have?” Blaine asked.

“Well, Puck thinks it would be great if we were called _The Music Slayers”_ Sam explained, making a face towards Puck as if he was out of his mind just for suggesting that name.

“It’s the best name ever” Puck intervened, making Blaine chuckle.

”But the rest of us don’t think it really goes with the kind of music we make” Sebastian said, gaining himself a dirty look from Puck.

“Well, at least it’s way better than Mike’s _Happily Ever After_ ”

“Hey, it’s cute!” Mike protested.

“That’s the problem” Puck answered.

“So you see, we still haven’t been able to find a proper name for ourselves. How do we want to become famous without even a name?” Sebastian lamented.

“What about Prince? For a while he didn’t have a name, it was just the symbol” Mike reminded the others.

“Yeah, and everybody knew him as the-artist-formerly-known-as-Prince. That’s still a name, in a way” Sebastian corrected him.

“And what about _New Directions_?” Blaine suggested, all of a sudden. “It’s like… everything is getting a new start, so… it kind of makes sense”

“New Directions? That’s kind of... strange for a band, isn’t it?” Puck wondered.

“Yeah, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s very catchy, everybody would remember about it” Blaine insisted.

“I think it’s a good name” Sebastian added.

“It’s a great name!” Mike exclaimed, happily.

“So we are... New Directions!” Sam playfully yelled, and Mike high-fived with him in agreement.

“So that’s it? _The Music Slayers_ is off the table just like that?” Puck protested, disappointed.

“Sorry, Puck, but it was never on the table in the first place” Sam replied, making Puck pout in annoyance and the others chuckle.

**********

So that day they spent a few hours just showing Blaine their more significant songs, as the latter tried to include his piano in them. It turned out his playing adapted perfectly well with the band music, and the five of them were feeling completely satisfied with the result.

“Hey, can you read music?” Sebastian asked, after a while.

“Yeah, of course”

“Do you want to try singing this one? My voice surely doesn’t match with it, I’m sure yours will sound so much better”

Blaine placed the paper sheet in front of him and prepared his fingers to start playing the first notes. The music flowed easily, and soon Mike accompanied him with the drums, giving it a soft beat. When Blaine’s voice started singing the main melody of the song, Sam forgot to accompany him with the harmonies in an instant, so transfixed he remained looking at his boyfriend completely lost in the song, voice and piano sounding so perfect it didn’t even feel real. What Sam had done to deserve such a beautiful person at his side he didn’t know, but he was surely grateful.

Of course the others were not as affected about Blaine’s voice as Sam was, but they remained speechless, amazed at how good he sounded and how talented he was.

“Wow, that was great!” Sebastian, a real musician at heart, exclaimed at the end of the song.

“It’s easy with such a beautiful song” Blaine replied, honestly.

“I think Sam had an ictus, or something” Mike joked, and only then Sam got out of his trance and smiled embarrassedly.

“I’m sorry, it’s was... just... wow” Sam found he couldn’t articulate any coherent sentence.

Blaine smiled, blushing but beaming with satisfaction at his boyfriend’s admiration.

“You seem to have a natural talent with music. You should try writing some songs too” Sebastian encouraged.

“I don’t know, I don’t think I can write anything like that” Blaine answered modestly, as he didn’t think any of his songs could compare to that one.

“Well, we can discuss this tomorrow night” Puck suggested.

“What’s tomorrow night?” Blaine asked.

“We have this tradition...” Sebastian explained.

“That we’ve only made once before” Puck interrupted.

“It’s still a tradition! As I was saying, we have this tradition to have dinner here at the garage and welcome the new year together” Sebastian explained.

“And then try and sneak into a party or a disco or somewhere funny” Puck added.

“Well, of course we can discuss that part” Sebastian contradicted him.

“Guys, I’m sorry about always being the spoilsport but I won’t be able to go” Blaine said sadly, and Sam’s heart broke a little at his boyfriend’s sadness and about the fact that he was not going to get to start the year with the person he loved the most in the world.

“Blaine, if this is about the money...” Sebastian intervened.

“No, no, it’s not just that. It’s because... my father won’t let me” Blaine knew it was useless to try and deny it, though talking about it was the last thing he wanted to do. It was bad enough that Sam knew about it, he didn’t want anyone else involved in it.

“Why?” Mike asked.

“He’s just like that” Blaine answered dismissively, lowering his gaze to the floor.

“But I’m sure you can convince him if you tell him you’ll be going with a bunch of friends, that you won’t be on your own” Sebastian insisted.

“He doesn’t care. But please, guys, don’t you worry about me, I’ll be okay! Just go and have your fun, take a lot of pictures and then you explain everything to me”

“But Blaine, it will not be the same if we are not all together” Mike pouted.

“I’m sorry, guys, there’s nothing I would like more, but I can do nothing about it” Blaine apologized.

“Sam, tell him to try and convince his father” Sebastian intervened, turning to his best friend.

“No, if there was a way he could do it I know he would. So if he says it’s not possible...” Of course there was nothing Sam would wish more than to have Blaine at his side at New Year’s Eve, but he knew there was nothing Blaine could do about it and he didn’t want to put any pressure on him, especially if it was all going to be for nothing.

Sebastian stood speechless at that. So Sam was not going to insist for Blaine to come with them? Didn’t he want him to come? But then he saw him coming to stand behind Blaine, who was still sitting on the piano’s stool, and resting his hand on the back of Blaine’s neck, squeezing it lovingly, and exchanging a tender gaze with him that could only be described as comforting.

Of course Sam cared about Blaine’s coming, a lot if you had to judge about the love obviously present in his eyes towards the other boy. So then it had to be that Blaine could really do nothing about it and Sam knew it. Could it be...? Maybe Blaine had problems at home? Money problems? Well, that was for sure, as the poor bloke seemed to be permanently broken. But he had denied that was the reason for him not to come on New Year’s Eve. It was because of his father, because “he was just like that”. Could it be that Blaine didn’t get along with his father? Maybe that was why he had those strange reactions sometimes, because his father…? He didn’t want to be a gossip, but he would have to ask Sam about it. He needed to know if Blaine was alright.

**********

“You don’t always have to accompany me home, you know” Blaine told his boyfriend, as they made their way home after the wonderful afternoon they had spent together with the boys.

“I thought you liked that” Sam answered, squeezing Blaine’s hand in his as they walked.

“I love it” Blaine assured him with the most tender of smiles. “But it makes me feel guilty. I never accompany you”

“But that’s because I live further away than you, so you would have to go back, and that’s absurd. Besides, I love picking you up and taking you home, it makes me feel like I’m taking care of you in a way”

“But you are already taking care of me. Constantly” Blaine reminded him, and Sam’s heart skipped a beat at all the love he could decipher in Blaine’s eyes.

“Same as you do for me. I already told you once, this works both ways”

“How can you be so perfect? I wish we could spend every moment together”

“I wish for that too. I can’t believe we are not starting the year together” Sam complained.

“I know. You’re the most important person in my life, and I will be spending the New Year with someone who hates me instead of you. I wish it could be different...”

“Me too. I don’t even feel like going to Sebastian’s if you’re not coming” Sam lamented, but Blaine was having none of that.

“No, don’t do that. You staying home won’t change the fact that we will not be together, so at least go and have some fun”

“I don’t know...”

“For me?” Blaine pleaded, playfully pouting, and Sam had to smile at such silliness.

“I spoil you”

“You love me”

“I do” Sam admitted with a kiss to Blaine’s forehead. “Okay, I’ll go. But I can’t promise to have fun” Sam joked.

“That’s all I ask” Blaine answered with a smile.

“But you know what? Let’s look at it this way: it’s going to be the only New Year’s Eve we’ll spend apart, isn’t it? I mean, we’ll get to celebrate every new year after that, as we will always be together, won’t we?”

“Yes, that’s true” Blaine answered, as a big smile broke slowly in his lips at the image.

“’Cause I will never let go of you” Sam promised.

“You’ve got the key”

“I do”

“I’m at your hands then”

“How great does that sound?” Sam said lovingly as they stopped in front of Blaine’s door and he embraced him around the waist to kiss him. “I’m going to miss you tomorrow”

“I’ll be thinking of you the whole time. Does that help?”

“A little”

“Maybe even some text message every now and then?”

“That would be great”

“Happy new year, Sammy”

“Happy new year, love” Sam answered, kind of sadly, as Blaine kissed him again, let go of his hand and finally entered his building.

**********

“Hello” Blaine said unenthusiastically to his father when he closed the door to his home.

“Who was that guy?” Don asked him, without even saying anything else first.

“What guy?” Blaine asked, just trying to gain some time to find a proper answer. Had his father seen them holding hands? Had he seen them kissing?

“This guy you were talking to at the street”

“He’s a friend” Blaine answered, trying not to look too relieved that his father had only seen them talking. God knows how he would react if he knew about their relationship.

“Where do you know him from?”

“School”

“And what was he doing here?”

“Nothing, he just... accompanied me” Blaine answered honestly, as there was no other possible answer.

“Why, can’t you find your own home?”

“I met him and other guys today and he has to pass by on his way home so...”

“I don’t want him coming up to my home”

“He won’t” Blaine assured him in a heartbeat.

“Make sure he doesn’t” he answered, kind of threateningly. “I don’t want my home full of stupid teenagers, is bad enough with one of them”

“I wanted to ask you something...” Blaine started, doing his best to ignore his father’s comment, as he was pretty used to them. “Tomorrow night... could I...?”

“If you’re asking for permission to go out on New Year’s Eve, you’ve got another thing coming” Don interrupted him, not even letting him finish.

“But why?”

“I don’t see the need for someone your age being on the streets at that hour of the night”

“It wouldn’t be on the streets, my friends and I...”

“I couldn’t care less about your friends. I said ‘no’ and that’s the end of it” Don abruptly put an end to the discussion as he put his jacket on and went to the door, ignoring Blaine’s sad sigh.

“Are you going out?” Blaine asked.

“Since when do I have to explain my activities to you?”

“No, I meant... Should I leave you some supper?”

“Don’t bother. Your cooking is rubbish anyway, I’ll just grab a bite at the bar”

“Before or after getting blind drunk?” Blaine mumbled to himself as he started towards the kitchen to get something for himself.

“Did you say something?”

“Not a word” Blaine was quick to deny and without another word, his father was out the door.


	16. Chapter 16

“Okay, Sam, you have to cheer up, okay?” Sebastian told him after Sam sighed for what it seemed like the hundredth time that night. It was New Year’s Eve, after all, and they were supposed to be having fun!

“I’m sorry” Sam apologized sincerely. “It’s just...”

“That you miss Blaine, we get it” Mike intervened, kind as always.

“It’s not fair that he can’t be here” Sam lamented as he finished the last of his dinner.

“About that... what is going on with his father?” Sebastian hesitantly asked.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked in surprise. What did Sebastian know?

“Blaine said something like _he’s like that_ , and the fact that you didn’t insist for him to try and convince his father to let him come, makes me wonder if you know something that we don’t”

“Well, he doesn’t get along with his father at all, he... didn’t really want to take Blaine in” Sam reluctantly explained. He didn’t know how they had gone so much time without any of the boys asking about Blaine’s situation, but if his boyfriend hadn’t voluntarily explained anything to them, he didn’t want to be the one to do it.

“Take him in?” Mike asked, in surprise. In spite of how much time they spent together, there was still so much they didn’t know about sweet little Blaine.

“Yes, Blaine’s mum died last summer. That’s why he moved here” Sam explained with a sad expression.

“Oh my God, poor Blaine” Puck exclaimed, feeling really sorry for his friend.

“And his father is pretty much a son of a bitch, so Blaine has had it quite a bit difficult these last few months”

“Sam, does his father...?” Sebastian started to ask, but Sam guessed what he was going to ask –he was a clever guy, he must have put two and two together and realized what was really happening–, so he tried to change subjects before Sebastian got to say it: he didn’t want to talk about it without Blaine’s consent or for the other guys to know unless it was Blaine telling them.

“Why don’t we make a toast? For that we can gather every single year to celebrate the New Year together! Chin-chin!” Sam exclaimed as he raised his glass, sending a knowing look at Sebastian that the latter immediately understood, so he didn’t insist anymore and raised his own glass to join in the toast.

“For us!” they said in unison before drinking from their glasses.

“May next year be five around the table, though” Mike added, and it warmed Sam’s heart to see how they all had come to accept Blaine so much.

**********

Blaine sighed, pretty bored, as he started clearing the table away and taking the plates to the sink. Even from the kitchen he could hear his father snoring in the living-room, having fallen asleep after having too much to drink –which unfortunately was not anything new.

A smile broke instantly in Blaine’s lips when his phone, buried inside his pocket, beeped. He took it out and immediately silenced it, so it wouldn’t awake his father if it beeped again –he would rather be alone than with his father–, and then he quickly opened his inbox to read the new message, which undoubtedly would be Sam’s.

_I wish you were here with me... I mean, us ;) The guys say hello. How is it going?_

Trust Sam not to stop worrying about him even in such a special night. Though to be honest with himself, he was very glad to hear from him, as it made him feel a little less lonely, so it didn’t take him too long to answer.

_It could be worse. Father is asleep, so at least I don’t have to pretend. I guess I’m up for some bad telly now. Miss you like crazy. Say the guys hello too. Love you <3_

He started washing up, so he would leave everything clean and tidy in case his father unexpectedly woke up, to avoid any discussion. But he had not even cleaned two plates that another message found its way into his inbox.

_Glad you don’t have to be with him, but I hate to think that you’re alone. I wish I could be with you... Aren’t wishes supposed to come true at New Year’s?_

Blaine smiled sadly at that, and he hurried to answer.

_If they came true you would be here with me right this second, so I guess they don’t..._

The answer to that one didn’t come as quickly as before, and it was not until at least five minutes later that a new –and strange– message arrived.

_You never know._

And nothing more. Blaine waited for another answer, something longer, more significant, with a few kisses and lots of love. But nothing else came. It was okay, though, he guessed. After all, Sam was supposed to be having fun with the boys, having dinner and partying, not whinning over the phone to ruin everybody’s night. Besides, he already knew Sam loved him, he didn’t need for him to be telling him all the time. Though he loved to hear it…

He dried his hands with a tea towel after finishing the dishes and then mentally debated with himself if he should try and watch some telly without waking his father up or maybe it would be better to shut himself up in his room and read for a while until he fell asleep. Not a very funny way to welcome the new year in both cases, as it was almost twelve already, but he had no more options. He still hadn’t made up his decision when his phone beeped once again.

_Seems like wishes do come true at New Year’s after all. Could you please come down for a second?_

Blaine’s heart started beating faster at the implications of this new message. Come down? Did that mean…? No, it couldn’t be, Sam was supposed to be at Sebastian’s. But what other possible meaning there was? With a smile he was not able to stop from spreading across his lips, Blaine grabbed his jacket and, very carefully so as not to wake his father up, he made his way down towards the street.

And when he opened the door of the building, he couldn’t believe his eyes: not only Sam was there, waiting for him with a smile on his face, but the rest of the boys were there too.

“What are you lot doing here?” Blaine whispered, almost unable to find his voice.

“I don’t think we need to tell you whose idea it was” Mike said with a dreamy smile.

“No, you don’t” Blaine answered with a chuckle, looking at his boyfriend who apparently was talking with someone through his phone.

“There’s someone here wanting to talk to you” Sam told him, handing him his phone.

“Who is it?” Blaine asked, confused, as all the group was there with them.

“Will you just pick it up?” Sam insisted, having trouble to resist the grin threatening to appear at the surprise his boyfriend was about to receive.

Blaine sighed but obeyed nonetheless, picking up the phone and taking it to his ear.

“Hello?” He asked, but his face quickly illuminated when he recognized the voice at the other side. “Wes! What’s up, buddy?”

Sam smiled as he saw his boyfriend talking excitedly with his best friend for a couple of minutes, and he knew all the trouble he had taken to get Wes’ number had been worth it. He knew Blaine had mostly lost all contact with his friends back home, as it was too painful for him to pretend nothing had changed when the distance separating them –both geographical and emotional– was so big. And he had never got over the fact he had left without saying goodbye to them. But as he saw him now, explaining things, asking questions, making jokes as if there was no tomorrow, Sam knew Blaine was happy. And Sam was never going to stop trying to make Blaine understand that, in spite of his family, Blaine was loved by a lot of people.

“Yeah, I know, it’s almost twelve. Wes, let’s... let’s not have so much time pass without talking again, okay? I know it was my fault and I’m sorry but… Ok, I will stop. I miss you, buddy, so much... ...Tell Dave and Trent I miss them too... ...We’ll talk again soon, okay? Thank you... ...Happy new year, Wes” Blaine finally finished his conversation and hung up the phone, turning to look at Sam with tears in his eyes.

Sam looked back at him, a goofy smile on his face at seeing the emotion in Blaine’s shiny eyes, until he couldn’t resist it any longer and embraced his boyfriend with all his might.

“Thank you” Blaine said, his voice breaking slightly.

“I thought you would like to talk to your friends” Sam answered, reassuringly stroking his back while they embraced.

“I can’t believe you did this. And what are you doing here?”

“Your gift to me was your future, wasn’t it?” Sam whispered in Blaine’s ear. “If this is going to be our year, I need to start it with you”

Blaine couldn’t find the words to reply to that, such was the emotion filling his heart, so he contented himself with burying his face in Sam’s neck, returning the embrace just as strongly.

“Guys” Puck alerted them, a portable radio next to his ear. “The countdown is about to begin! Ready? Go! Twelve, eleven...”

“I can’t believe you came” Blaine told Sam, breaking the embrace to look at the eyes of the person he loved the most in the world.

“...ten, nine...” Mike and Sebastian joined Puck’s voice.

“I wouldn’t have missed your face for anything in the world” Sam answered, cupping Blaine’s cheeks.

“...eight, seven...”

“I don’t deserve...” Blaine started, but a finger to his lips stopped him before he could finish the sentence.

“...six, five...”

“You deserve all the good in the world”

“...four, three...”

“I already have it”

“...two, one... Happy new year!” everyone yelled excitedly, and Sam enveloped Blaine in a strong embrace again as he captured his lips in a slow kiss, full of love and devotion, to welcome the New Year.

“I love you” Blaine murmured against Sam’s lips, feeling Sam’s smile breaking widely.

“I love you too” Sam answered as he finally broke the embrace, though he kept his arm around Blaine’s shoulders, as if he was completely unable to let go of him.

“Hey, leave a bit for the rest of us too!” Puck joked as he jumped at them and enveloped them both in a bear hug. “Happy new year, boys”

“Happy new year, Puck” Blaine chuckled, and his smile grew even wider when he felt the other two boys putting their arms around them. “And everyone!”

Just then the traditional fireworks started and the five of them lifted their faces to look at them, not breaking their group hug as they felt very comfortable with their arms around each other. And yes, Blaine thought as he felt Sam’s warm and tender lips against his temple, this was going to be their year.


	17. Chapter 17

“So here we are again” Puck lamented as the five friends made their way into the school the first day after the Christmas Holidays. “Back to this torture”

“Someone’s in a bad mood today” Mike commented, amusedly.

“And how can I not be in a bad mood? Only yesterday at this time of the day I was sleeping! And I would still be for like another three hours!”

“Well, we can’t be permanently on holidays” Sebastian intervened, patting Puck’s shoulder comfortingly.

“And why’s that again?”

“Well, because... Just shut up, okay?” Sebastian answered, as they found their way to their usual seats in the classroom. “It’s too early to be having these debates”

“So” Blaine said from his seat, turning to his boyfriend with a smile. “Ready for another term?”

“If it’s going to be as perfect as the last one, you bet I am” Sam answered, reciprocating his smile.

“Well, if you keep up with the good work as you did, I’m sure it will be even better”

“I was not referring to that...” Sam explained to Blaine with a wide grin and a gentle brush of his knuckles to Blaine’s cheek, making him blush.

“You silly” Blaine mumbled, a little embarrassed at Sam’s easy affections.

“Boys, please, I’ve just had breakfast, don’t make me throw up with all this... romance” Puck protested, yawning exaggeratedly.

“Do you have anything against being sweet?” Sam asked.

 “Sweet? It’s cloying! I bet you have each other’s photograph on your nightstand and you kiss it good night” Puck joked, but the guilty gaze the lovers exchanged told him he was not entirely wrong. “Oh my God, you do!”

“Well, we did take a picture of us kissing and made a copy for each one...” Sam explained.

“But it’s just to have it, we do not kiss it goodnight” Blaine protested.

“At least not every night...” Sam mumbled embarrassedly and Puck could only groan.

“I think I just turned diabetic all of a sudden...”

“Forgive him, he’s really not a morning person” Mike jokingly apologized for him. “You can continue with your romance, ‘cause it’s so sweet...”

“Aw, thanks for your permission, Mike” Sam responded good-naturally, and Blaine smiled at them.

“Sorry to interrupt such a beautiful and not soppy at all moment, boys” Sebastian intervened from his seat. “When do you think it would be a good time for a new band meeting? Now that our band is complete, we don’t want to lose our time, do we?”

“How about tomorrow?” Sam suggested. “Blaine and I are working on a song. We could finish it today so we can show you tomorrow. Is that’s alright with you, babe?”

“Yeah, sure” Blaine nodded, enthusiastically.

“Then we can go to mine’s this afternoon and work some more on it” Sam told his boyfriend, and Puck found he couldn’t miss the chance to mock them a little.

“On the song, Sam. You have to work on the song. Just try to remember that when you two are alone in your room” Puck joked, already a little more alert and in a better mood.

“Just... shut up!” Sam groaned, and seeing the blushing in Blaine’s cheeks, he guessed his cheeks might be looking quite alike.

**********

“Are you sure your mum won’t mind about me coming over without her knowing first?” Blaine asked for like the third time since they had left the McKinley at the end of the school day, as they were standing in front of Sam’s house, waiting for him to find his keys and open the door.

“Blaine, I’ve already told you” Sam patiently answered, as he knew how insecure Blaine could get sometimes. “She never minds me bringing friends home, quite the contrary. And I’ve talked so much to her about you that she’s dying to meet you”

“Really? And what have you told her?”

“How beautiful and sexy and a good-kisser you are”

“What?” Blaine almost yelled, horrified.

“I’m kidding, you silly” Sam laughed at Blaine’s appalled expression. “I’ve told her about how nice you are and how much you’ve helped me with my studies. So in fact, she already adores you, even if she hasn’t still met you”

“Ok then. But don’t you ever joke with something like that again” Blaine reprimanded him, though he couldn’t help a little smile making its way to his lips at his boyfriend’s nonsense.

“I won’t” Sam promised with a laugh, before turning more serious. “She doesn’t know about us, though”

“Oh” Blaine exclaimed, more curious than really offended or worried about it.

“But it’s just... because I felt embarrassed to tell her. It’s not because I’m ashamed of you or anything” Sam hurried to explain, knowing how fragile Blaine’s self-esteem was and not wanting for him to think than he was less than perfect.

“It’s okay, Sam” Blaine told him, reassuringly.

“But I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to hide it or something, I will tell her as soon as...”

“Sam, I know” Blaine interrupted him with a smile, bringing a finger to Sam’s lips to make him stop talking. “It’s okay, really. I haven’t told my father either. And to be honest, I don’t think I will. And it’s not because of you either”

“Yeah, I know”

“It’s just... the least he knows about me, the least he has to hurt me with, you know? He could use it against me if he knew how important you are to me or something like that, and... well, I don’t want to risk it”

“I get it, Blaine. I think it’s for the best too” Sam answered with a reassuring caress to Blaine’s arm.

“Thank you for understanding” Blaine said and kissed his boyfriend gratefully.

“No, thanks to you for explaining. And now, my beautiful guest, I’ve found the keys. Ready?” Sam asked, grabbing Blaine’s hand and squeezing it encouragingly.

“Ready” Blaine nodded, and both of them entered Sam’s home, losing their joined hands immediately at finding his mother at the living room.

“Hi, Mum” Sam greeted her with a kiss to her cheek, and Blaine felt a brief but sharp pain in his heart at the familiarity of the scene. God, how he missed his mother, the only person who had always been there for him... But there had never been the tiniest place in his heart for resentment, so he immediately felt very happy that at least Sam had what he had been deprived of.

“Hi, dear” his mother answered.

“Mum, this is Blaine, he’s the one who has been helping me study lately” Sam introduced him, and Blaine was quick to offer one of his best smiles at Sam’s mum, wanting to make a good impression.

“Hi, ma’am” Blaine said, as sweetly as he was able.

“Oh, please, dear, call me Mary” she warmly answered as she turned to him, but was left speechless for a second when she got to see his son’s friend. Or more accurately, the jacket his son’s friends was wearing. Because that was the jacket that had once belonged to her son. The one he had claimed to have become stolen.

Sam noticed his mother’s confusion and could have kicked his own shin for being such an idiot. How could he have forgotten about the jacket? Blaine wore it so much that he guessed he had become so used to seeing him with it that he had forgotten about it. And now his mother had seen it. And she was going to get angry for sure about two things: one, him giving it away in spite of how expensive it was; two, lying about it.

So he was very surprised when his mother, instead of getting angry, gave Blaine a wide smile and patted him on his shoulder. Sam had told her about Blaine losing his mother just a few months before, and her maternal instincts had immediately kicked in.

“So it is you the one who has accomplished in a term what we couldn’t for years? For Sam to study?” she joked, and Blaine felt himself immediately relaxing at her warmth.

“I shouldn’t be getting the credit for that, it was him who made all the effort. I just encouraged him” Blaine answered politely, and the loving look he threw at Sam’s direction didn’t go unnoticed to the intuitive woman.

“You must be very special, then” she said, and she left the boys on his own, not before caressing her son’s cheek in understanding, to which Sam could only smile. His mother seemed to always know everything. And to understand it. Even if he knew he was going to hear her later, probably.

**********

Blaine and Sam spent more than two hours locked up in Sam’s room, completely lost in their music, as they tried to put their feelings into lyrics, wanting it to be a special song for them. They even had moved the furniture a little to make some room for themselves and be able to move while they improvised words or chords on Sam’s guitar, and were having a great time with it.

“Boys” Sam’s mother interrupted with a soft knock to the door. “Why don’t you have something to drink or a snack? You must be hungry, you’ve been working non-stop for a long time now”

“Thanks, mum, but I’m okay” Sam answered, and then he turned to his boyfriend. “Blaine?”

“Oh, thank you so much, ma’am, but I’m okay” Blaine answered politely.

“What did I tell you about calling me _ma’am_?” Mary reprimanded him with a laugh.

“I’m sorry” Blaine apologized with a shy smile.

“Well, I came to tell you I’m leaving now, Sam. We’re taking advantage of the fact that both Stacey and Stevie are sleeping at some friends to get some time for ourselves. I’m picking up your father from work and we’ll go out for dinner, okay? We’ll not be late. Glad to meet you, Blaine. I hope I’ll be seeing you again”

“Of course, thanks, Mary” Blaine answered with his charming smile.

“Good boy” Mary smiled back at the boy. He was starting to like him... Not as much as his son liked him, though, judging by the way he was looking at him. Ah, young love! “Bye, honey”

“Bye, mum” Sam answered just as she closed the door behind her and the two boys found themselves alone once again.

“Could we take a little rest? Gosh, my head feels like it’s about to explode!” Sam exclaimed as he finally moved to sit down on the comfortable bed.

“Really? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were like forty, always getting tired so easily” Blaine answered, teasingly, as he sat by his side.

“Excuse me, mister stamina, but I think we haven’t stopped for hours. And you haven’t even sat down yet, just dancing around all over the room. You seem pretty worn out too”

“I’m not tired”

“I’ve happened to notice you’re sitting now too”

“But that’s just because I wanted to be near you” Blaine told him in a mockingly sweet voice.

“Aw, how sweet of you” Sam answered sarcastically.

“Isn’t it?”

“So you think you have more stamina than me?”

“Absolutely. Should we try and see who can dance the longest?”

“You know what? I’m just willing to let you get away with it so I don’t have to put my feet on the floor again”

“That proves my theory, then” Blaine answered, satisfied.

“Ok, whatever you say” Sam conceded without an argument.

“You always resolve arguments as easy as that?”

“Only when my opponent is as beautiful as you are”

“Oh, and do you happen to find a lot of opponents with those characteristics?”

“No, just you”

“Awww” Blaine answered honestly, moved by Sam’s appreciation towards him, as he lifted his hand to caress the hair behind Sam’s ear. “You know, if you’re up to hearing just a little more music, there’s something I’ve been wanting to show you”

“What is it?” Sam asked, his face shining with anticipation.

“Just a song my mother loved when I was just a kid and it’s always been very dear to me. Even more now, because... it’s like it speaks about you” Blaine explained with a shy smile. “Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes” Sam answered, not finding any more words as his heart started beating like crazy with emotion and he moved so he was sitting directly looking at Blaine, who did the same and took the guitar from Sam’s hands so he could play it himself.

When Blaine’s fingers started strumming the strings, Sam closed his eyes and breathed deeply, willing the music to fill his chest. But when Blaine’s voice flooded the room, his eyes fell open immediately, and would not move from Blaine’s face as much as he would try.

 _You are the sunshine of my life_  
_That's why I'll always be around_  
 _You are the apple of my eye_  
 _Forever you'll stay in my heart_

 _I feel like this is the beginning_  
_Though I've loved you for a million years_  
 _And if I thought our love was ending_  
 _I'd find myself drowning in my own tears_

_You are the sunshine of my life_   
_That's why I'll always stay around_   
_You are the apple of my eye_   
_Forever you'll stay in my heart_

_You must have known that I was lonely,_  
_Because you came to my rescue,_  
 _And I know that this must be heaven,_  
 _How could so much love be inside of you?_

 _You are the sunshine of my life, yeah_  
_That's why I'll always stay around_  
 _You are the apple of my eye_  
 _Forever you'll stay in my heart._

When the last word was sung and the guitar finally fell in silence, Blaine lifted his gaze to look at his boyfriend, looking for approval as he nervously bit his bottom lip; he never sang anymore –he always tried to be silent at home so as not to elicit a fight with his father–, much less in front of anyone because he didn’t feel confident enough to do it. But when he saw the emotion and the love that filled Sam’s eyes, he knew his boyfriend had appreciated the effort, loved every bit of it and understood how much he loved him with his music, and he felt so happy his heart felt about to burst.

In a rush of love, Sam leant over to kiss Blaine, slowly at first but getting more anxious by the minute, deepening their kiss until they could hardly breathe and had to separate their lips slightly to get some air, only to start eagerly again. Sam grabbed the guitar from Blaine’s hands to put it out of their way and his hand moved to the back of Blaine’s head, to hold it firmly, almost possessively, and it was not long before Sam was pushing Blaine onto the mattress without even being aware of it it. Probably because he didn’t meet any resistance, he thought when he realized he was lying completely on top of Blaine, their lips not having parted for more than a second, Blaine’s arms holding him strongly across his shoulders.

Sam’s hands began getting curious and they started wandering along Blaine’s torso, until they arrived to his waist and timidly lifted his sweater a little to feel the skin on his stomach. Blaine hissed without even meaning to, and Sam immediately stopped his ministrations, looking at his boyfriend with a guilty expression.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have...” Sam tried to apologize, afraid he had crossed a line, but Blaine didn’t even let him finish.

“No!” Blaine answered with a chuckle. “It’s not that, it’s just... your hands are cold”

Sam reciprocated Blaine’s smile, relieved he hadn’t made him uncomfortable, but his lips were captured by Blaine again before he could say anything. Next time some hands became playful, they were Blaine’s, as they found their way to the skin on Sam’s back, just underneath his T-shirt, as he embraced him strongly. When Sam felt Blaine’s hands laying flat on his back, without anything getting in their way, he suddenly felt such a craving for the other boy that it was all he could not to tear off both their clothes.

Not too long after that, Sam broke their kiss to move his lips all along Blaine’s jaw and to his neck, leaving a trail of kisses on his skin that made the brunet shudder in desire. Sam, though, felt he couldn’t wait any longer to feel more of Blaine’s skin against his own, so his hands wandered again around Blaine’s waist and grabbed the hem of his sweater to roll it up. But before he did, and even though Blaine hadn’t said anything or made a move that showed he didn’t want that, Sam hesitated and lifted his upper body from Blaine’s to really look at him.

“Are you sure about this?” Sam took a moment to ask Blaine, looking intently at his eyes to asses the emotions there. “We don’t have to...”

“Sam, I want it” Blaine reassured him, playing with the hair behind Sam’s ear once again, his face flushed with passion. “I want it as much as you do”

“I don’t think that’s possible” Sam joked, trying to make light of the situation and Blaine chuckled.

“It is, believe me” Blaine answered, slowly lifting his upper body too and guiding Sam’s hands towards him again so he would finally free him of his sweater.

When he saw Blaine’s bare chest for the first time, Sam couldn’t help but sigh in contenment, clearly appreciating the view. But it was not enough to just look, so he carefully brushed his fingers all along Blaine’s torso and it was not much later that Sam’s lips followed the trail his hands had done, placing gentle kisses all along Blaine’s skin, as the latter arched his back in anticipation.

“Just so you know, I was not trying to seduce you with that song” Blaine joked, trying to break the tension of the moment with some of their usual silliness.

“Well, you could have fooled me” Sam joked back, appreciating the humor and the familiarity it provided.

“I want to feel your body too” Blaine whispered huskily, as he helped Sam lift his T-shirt to free him of it, and both of them moaned when their naked chests came into contact.

“I love you” Sam mumbled, just before capturing Blaine’s lips again in a kiss full of passion and desire, as their caresses became more urgent, their breathings going faster with each passing second.

“I love you too” Blaine mumbled against Sam’s lips, and he thought his heart was going to explode from desire and love when Sam’s hand started fumbling with his belt.

**********

When Blaine opened his eyes again, the lighting in the room had already changed to a dull light coming from the window at sunset. There was a peace in his heart like he had never felt at awakening since he had moved to Lima, and he realized that the gentle caresses being ministered to his head by a loving hand had a lot to do with it. He noticed he was using Sam’s chest as a pillow, lying on his side with his head nestled close to the blond’s neck, his boyfriend’s arm surrounding him and idly stroking his curly hair with the tip of his fingers.

Blaine sighed tiredly as he lifted his head from Sam’s chest and rested it on his own hand, leaning his elbow on the mattress to hold his head and look at the blond, not moving an inch away from his boyfriend, who by now was looking back at him with an adoring look in his eye and a goofy smile on his lips.

“Why did you let me sleep like that?” Blaine asked him, without a hint of reproach in his voice.

“Cause you were looking so content and peaceful that I didn’t have the heart to wake you. It’s not often that I see you that relaxed. And you were so incredibly cute while sleeping...”

Blaine leant over slightly to join his lips with Sam’s for a second, and then the arm he still had around Sam moved to gently caress his chest as they talked.

“Is this real?” Blaine asked out of the blue, and Sam wrinkled his forehead in confusion.

“What?”

“This... happiness I’m feeling” Blaine confessed, slightly blushing at all the exuberance of his emotions, and Sam just nodded.

“It must be, because I’m feeling it too” Sam answered while he tucked a rebel curl behind Blaine’s ear.

“I never thought I would be able to love somebody so much”

“Okay, you have to stop that if you don’t want me to start crying”

Blaine chuckled at his boyfriend’s nonsense and kissed him once more before he turned around and sat up at the edge of the bed to start dressing.

“Hey, where are you going?” Sam pouted as he followed Blaine to the other end of the bed and encircled his waist strongly with his arms to keep him from moving.

“It’s very late, I have to get going. My father is going to kill me” Blaine answered as he tried to escape Sam’s embrace, but the silence that followed his words made him realize how unfortunate his choice of words had been and what Sam must be thinking. “Sam, it’s only an expression. Nothing’s going to happen with my father”

Sam sighed and rested his chin in Blaine’s shoulder, all the while squeezing him even more strongly around his middle.

“I wish I could be so sure”

“Only a few more months, love” Blaine reminded him with a caress to his face, before he finally extricated himself from his arms and started dressing.

“You keep saying that” Sam observed with a frustrated sigh as he got up and started getting dressed too.

“Because it’s true. That’s the only thought that keeps me hanging on”

“When we live together I’m going to compensate all this you’ve had to go through and my main occupation in life will be to make you happy” Sam told him, as honest as he had ever been before, and Blaine felt a knot forming in his throat at the gratitude and love he felt for that young man.

“I know you will” was the only thing he could say, so he preferred to embrace Sam strongly to show him with his actions what he was not able to do with words.

Already dressed and holding hands, both of them moved to the front door, and Sam waited patiently as Blaine put on his jacket before he cupped his cheeks and took his time to just admire his beauty, before leaning over to kiss him slowly, carefully, as if he was afraid Blaine was going to break.

“Sam, I have to go” Blaine murmured against Sam’s lips, chuckling.

“I don’t think I’m ready for you to go just yet” Sam answered, capturing his lips again, this time enveloping Blaine’s waist with his arms.

“No, Sam” Blaine gently pushed Sam from him, and smiling widely at the pout appearing in Sam’s lips. “I really have to go”

“Do you really?” Sam moaned.

“Yes, I do. I’m sorry” Blaine told him, genuinely sad to leave him.

“I’m just kidding, you silly” Sam reassured him, his fingers playing with the unruly curls falling on Blaine’s forehead. “Well, not about not being ready to let you go, that’s true. Just about the part of making you feel guilty about it” Sam told him with a cheeky grin, and Blaine embraced him strongly, full of emotion.

“I love you” he whispered in Sam’s ear before depositing a soft kiss on his cheek, and then he turned around swiftly and walked away, embarrassed by his own rush of emotion, not even giving Sam the chance to answer.

And as he closed the door, a good minute after Blaine had gone, Sam sighed and bit his lower lip in an attempt of controlling the goofy smile that threatened not to leave his face for days.

**********

Blaine was having the same problem controlling his smile when he opened the door to his home. However, as he saw his father waiting for him in a bad mood and stinking of alcohol, the smile disappeared in an instant and he prepared himself for the worst.

“Where the hell have you been?” his father yelled at him.

“Just...  out” Blaine answered, softly, trying not to make his father angrier.

“I know you’ve been out, do you take me for an idiot?”

“No, of course not”

“I asked you a question”

“I was... at a friend’s”

“At these hours?”

“Yes, we have an exam coming soon and...” Blaine started trying to excuse his lateness, but Don slapped him in the face before he could say anything else.

“Don’t lie to me!” he yelled.

“I’m not lying! I was at my friend’s house!” Blaine tried to convince his father, his hand moving to his pounding cheek.

“Which friend? This one?” his father yelled at him, throwing to his face the picture of both him and Sam kissing that the latter had given him, and that he kept on his nightstand, leaving Blaine speechless about having been discovered. He obviously hadn’t been that careful hiding it, but he had never thought his father would find it. “So now you don’t have anything to say?”

Blaine just lowered his face, unable to look at his father to his face. He knew he was not doing anything wrong, and he was not ashamed of what he had with Sam by any means, but he was afraid of his father’s reaction.

“So you’re a fag, on top of everything?” his father reproached him in a disgusted loud voice.

“What?” Blaine asked, unable to believe his own father was insulting him like that.

“This is that guy who’s always around here, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s him” Blaine answered proudly. No one, not even his father, was going to make him feel ashamed of Sam.

“This is over, you hear me?” Don ordered him.

“What? No! We are not doing anything wrong!” Blaine immediately protested. No one, not even his father, was going to keep him away from Sam.

“Oh, you aren’t? This is disgusting, you fucking queer!”

“It’s not! I love him and he loves me, and I’m not going to stop seeing him just because you say so”

“You will do as I tell you!” the man yelled, and Blaine doubted he had ever seen him as angry.

“No, I won’t! He’s my boyfriend!” Blaine yelled back before he could stop himself.

“Your boyfriend? What the hell? Are you two shagging?”

“Yes!” Blaine yelled at his father before he could stop himself, finally brought to his limit. “Yes, we just did! And it was great!”

Blaine found he couldn’t say anything more as his cheek exploded in a blinding pain when his father’s fist impacted on it before he could realize what was happening.


	18. Chapter 18

Sam switched off the TV after a little while. No use of having it on if he wasn’t able to concentrate on it, right? Besides, there was nothing good on the program planning. Not that he had really bothered about checking it, to be honest, but anyway…

As he went to his room, he heard some distant thunder and then he noticed it had started raining heavily at some point. But not even the pouring rain could do anything to dampen his spirits that night, so happy he was feeling after making love with Blaine for the first time. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he wondered how long it had been raining –he only hoped Blaine had made it home safely before it started–. Maybe he should call him, just to make sure... and maybe to listen to his sweet voice again before falling asleep, just to make sure his dreams would be filled with him.

He was already dialing Blaine’s number, sitting with a big happy smile on his face in the same bed he had shared with Blaine only a while ago, when he heard a noise on his window. At first he thought it was only the rain hitting the glass, but then he heard it again, as if someone was knocking on it. A bit frightened, he got up from the bed and approached the window to pull back the curtains, only to find a hooded figure standing there. Sam was just about to start screaming or call the police when he recognized the jacket of the mysterious person and hurried to open the window and let him in.

“Blaine!” he exclaimed, as he offered his hand to help Blaine hop inside. “What are you doing here… again?”

“Can I stay the night, please?” Blaine asked in a shaky voice, which indicated Sam instantly that something was not right with his boyfriend.

“Blaine, what’s wrong?” Sam asked him worriedly as he pulled the hood down to really look at him, and discovered how Blaine’s beautiful face was now marred by bruises and traces of blood. “What the hell…?” he began to ask, but he noticed Blaine’s shaking and could only embrace him to his chest as Blaine openly sobbed, moaning pitifully as Sam’s hand touched a sensitive spot on his back.

“Oh my God, Blaine. Did I hurt you? What happened to you?” Sam asked him, terrified at Blaine’s both physical and mental state.

“You were right” Blaine murmured between sobs, his voice muffled by Sam’s shoulder. “You were right, I should have listened to you”

“What do you mean, babe? What happened?” Sam asked in the calmest voice he could muster, resisting the urge to scream, to panic, to cry, only for Blaine’s sake.

“He was crazy, Sam. He found out about us and he went crazy”

_Don was completely beyond himself when he punched his son’s face a second time, so hard that he made him fall to the floor. But that, far from making him react, just encouraged him more, and took advantage of Blaine’s position to kick his middle, hardly giving him the chance to react._

“Do you mean... did your father do this?” Sam couldn’t believe someone could have so much wickedness in him.

 _“No son of mine is going to go around fucking other guys, you hear me? I’ll kill you before having to witness it!”_ _Don yelled at him, all the while accompanying his words with kicks and slaps and punches as Blaine tried to cover his head to protect himself._

“Yes. He started hitting me, giving me punches until I fell, and then he kicked me, Sam. He kicked me like a dog” Blaine started sobbing so disconsolately that Sam was even having trouble to understand what he was saying.

“And how did you get out? Where is he?” Sam felt suddenly scared that madman would still be after Blaine.

_Blaine knew he couldn’t keep receiving such a treatment before he got really hurt, if the pain he was feeling in his middle because of his father’s kicks was any proof of it. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. His father wanted him to be ashamed of what we had with Sam, and that hurt him more than any of the blows he was receiving. So with an anger that blinded his reasoning for a second, and with an strong urge to protect himself, he took the chance to grab his father’s arm when he was about to strike again to stop him and blindly threw a strong punch that impacted on the man’s jaw, immediately stunning him and sending him to the floor too._

_Blaine, his anger having disappeared to be replaced by fear, jumped from the floor as fast as he could due to the pain he was feeling in his head and his middle, and flew out of the flat, not even taking the time to close the door. Not for a second did he doubt where he should go: to Sam._

“I hit him too, Sam” Blaine explained, and Sam’s blood boiled as he distinguished some shame or repentance on his boyfriend when the truth was Blaine had only tried to defend himself. “I couldn’t stand it anymore and the next time he hit me I grabbed his arm to stop him and punched him in the face with all my forces, so he fell backwards. I don’t know how much damage I did, I think he was unconscious, but I just took the chance and flew out of there”

“It was the only thing you could do, okay?” Sam tried to reason with him, breaking the embrace to cup Blaine’s cheeks in his hands and force him to look at him, desperately needing for him to calm down.

“And what if I’ve really hurt him?” Blaine implored for Sam to understand how scared he was.

“I’m sure you didn’t. It was only a punch, right? I’m sure he was more surprised than hurt”

“And what if he comes here? I don’t want to go back with him” Sam’s heart broke at the fear in his boyfriend’s voice. And he didn’t blame him: he was very scared himself.

“He won’t” Sam answered, sounding more confident than he was really feeling. “He doesn’t know where I live, right?”

“No, he doesn’t even know your name” Blaine answered, already calming down a bit at Sam’s logic.

“Then he can’t find you. You’re safe here” Sam prayed that his words would be true.

“He called me _fag_ and _queer_ ” Blaine continued explaining, and Sam had to shut his eyes for a second at the pain he had to witness in Blaine’s eyes, “and he said I had to stop seeing you! But I can’t, Sam, I won’t obey him on this, I can’t be away from you” Blaine cried in a rush, getting worked up again, and Sam embraced him to his chest once again, his own heart filling with a fury he had never experienced before, but which he had to control if he wanted to help his boyfriend.

“Schtt, easy, love” Sam asked him in a comforting voice, all the way caressing the back of his boyfriend’s head in an attempt to calm him down as he tried to not let his own tears fall. “There’s no way we are going to let him pull us apart, okay? We’ll fix this somehow”

“I can’t lose you” Blaine continued sobbing, and Sam worried he was going to get sick.

“Okay, listen to me: you’re not going to lose me. I won’t let him or anyone else for that matter take you away from me, okay?”

“I need you so much”

“Just as much as I need you. Our life together starts today, okay?” Sam promised.

“It’s not going to be that easy. He won’t let me get away with it”

“Then we’ll run away from here if it’s necessary. But whatever happens, we are in this together, okay?”

“Okay” Blaine conceded, breathing deeply to try and calm himself.

“God, you’re all soaked up” Sam realized Blaine had been walking in the street under the pouring rain, and both his hair and his clothes were soaking wet. “Let’s get you into the bathtub and then I’ll lend you a dry pajama and... I’ll clean your face” Sam told him tenderly once Blaine’s sobs diminished a little, gently pushing him into the bathroom. How he wished his parents were there... At least they would know what to do. No, he corrected himself. He knew what to do too. The important thing now was to make Blaine feel better, to heal him, both physically and emotionally, and be there for him. And he surely knew how to do that.

**********

Blaine sat silently in the warm-water-filled bathtub, unmoving, with his arms around his bended knees, his face half hidden on them. Sam knelt next to the tub, lovingly and carefully rubbing Blaine’s skin with a sponge, trying to make him feel better, biting the inside of his mouth every now and then to channel his rage and keep himself from swearing every time he discovered a forming bruise.

“Can you lean back so I can wash your hair?” Sam told him impossibly soft, as if he was talking to a wounded animal, and was surprised to find Blaine obliged immediately. He was glad Blaine still had the strength to trust him, he desperately needed someone to love him and take care of him.

Sam let some water fall over Blaine’s head and started massaging his scalp with all the love of the world, while the only movement in Blaine were the tears falling down his cheeks, unnoticed. The tenderness with which Sam was treating him and the love he was showing towards him moved him endlessly. It was hard for him to assimilate so much hate and then so much caring in just one night.

When Sam had finished rinsing his hair, he gently grabbed Blaine under the arms and helped him stand and get out of the bathtub, careful of not pressing in any of the bruises, and then he enveloped him with a big fluffy towel, making sure to leave his own arms around Blaine’s body for a few seconds in a loving embrace, and then he directed him towards his room and his bed, so he could sit and Sam could take care of the wounds on his face.

“I can’t believe you told me this thing with your father was not that bad” Sam whispered, trying not to sound too reproachful now that his boyfriend seemed to be calmer, while he disinfected a particularly nasty cut next to Blaine’s eye, probably caused by a ring.

“And it wasn’t” Blaine explained, looking at Sam intently, begging him with his eyes to believe him. “There had been slaps on the face and shoves before, even a punch once, but he had never done something like that. I had never seen him so angry... and so drunk”

Sam nodded understandingly, and he took a moment to brush his thumb across Blaine’s cheek once he had finished treating him in a comforting gesture.

“Here you are” Sam told him as he handed him a pajama. “That’s my best pajama, I wouldn’t lend it to anyone else” Sam lightly joked, trying to make Blaine forget, even if it was only for a second.

“I’ll take good care of it” Blaine answered with the littlest smile while he got dressed with it and sat on the bed again. “I wouldn’t ask to stay here, but I can’t go back and I have nowhere else to go”

“I would never let you go like this” Sam answered with a frown, as if Blaine was asking the most ridiculous thing ever, as he sat at his side. “Of course you will stay here”

“But I don’t want to cause you any problems with your parents. That’s why I came in through the window, in case they were back”

“You won’t cause any problem. And even if you did, I wouldn’t care. You’re so much more important to me than that” Sam told him honestly, while carefully caressing Blaine’s uninjured cheek with his knuckles again, almost if he couldn’t stop touching him in a loving way for a second so Blaine wouldn’t forget how loved he was.

“I’m so lucky to have you” Blaine whispered, his voice shaky with emotion, as he leant over Sam and rested his head on his shoulder, feeling secure and grateful of Sam’s arm immediately embracing him around the waist.

“I just want you to be okay” Sam answered sincerely, even if he knew how far Blaine was from being okay.

“I am now” Blaine answered, snuggling closer to his boyfriend, also having a strong need for physical contact from the only person he could trust.

“What do you want to do? My parents won’t be home for a while yet, we could watch TV for a while. Or would you rather lie down here?”

“I... I just want you to hold me” Blaine asked, almost begging, although there was no need because Sam was not about to deny him anything.

“Of course” Sam answered as tenderly as he could, while he was already lying down, bringing Blaine down with him to let him rest his head on his chest as he enveloped him in a strong embrace.

“Are you comfortable?” Sam asked, though in reality he was asking if he was hurting.

“Yes, I’m perfect like this” Blaine answered in complete honesty, closing his eyes just to pretend nothing had happened and he was just lying in bed with his boyfriend. Which was easier to pretend when Sam’s hand never stopped his caresses on his head and neck.

“I should tell you that... Sebastian knows about your father... to some extent” Sam confessed, after a few minutes in silence.

“What? Did you tell him?” Blaine asked, as he lifted his head to look at Sam in astonishment.

“No, of course not!” Sam quickly denied, still stroking Blaine’s neck lovingly to calm him down. “I would never explain anything like that without your permission! But he’s very astute, and he put two and two together... I haven’t talked to him about this, but I think he suspects it”

“I don’t like people knowing”

“But Sebastian is not just _people_. He’s my best friend, and he adores you. He just worries about you, but he’s not going to say anything or do anything that could damage you”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” Blaine conceded, and once again he lowered his head to Sam’s chest, putting his arm around Sam’s middle to embrace him strongly, which Sam reciprocated with his own arm, resting his own head over Blaine’s, wanting him to understand he was not alone, that he was loved and that there was somebody ready to fight for him at all costs.

“This should never have happened. But especially it shouldn’t have happened on a day like today. It should have been a special day” Sam mumbled against Blaine’s forehead.

“Don’t be silly” Blaine answered, grateful of the tinkling Sam’s breath caused in his forehead. “In spite of everything that happened later, I want you to know this has been the happiest day of my life”

“Really?” Sam asked in amazement.

“Every moment spent with you overshadows everything else, good or bad. Especially today’s” Blaine shyly smiled as he remembered what had happened in that same bed just some hours ago, even if it felt like a lifetime.

“I love you too, by the way” Sam said, all of a sudden, accompanying his words with a kiss to the top of Blaine’s head.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, earlier you left without giving me the chance to answer. So I love you too”

Blaine felt too moved to say anything after so many emotions for one day, so he just nestled up more tightly against Sam’s chest, squeezing his middle with his arm to show him how much he loved him back, and planted a kiss on Sam’s chest before closing his eyes again.

**********

Due to the pain of his injuries and the emotional whirl he had had to live that day, Blaine fell asleep after a while, his breathing becoming lighter and the tight embrace he kept around Sam’s middle relaxing a bit –though not completely.

It was not so easy for Sam, though. He was feeling a pressure on his chest that little had to do with the weight of Blaine’s head resting on it. To see Blaine so hurt, in and out, full of fear and so vulnerable... And the worst thing of all was that he didn’t know what to do. The more he thought about it, the easiest it was for Sam to see that something like that couldn’t be resolved by him on his own. Or even between him and Blaine. This was not a stupid fight with your parent, or a teenager running away to get some attention. This was serious, and Blaine’s integrity –both physical and emotional– was on stake. He decided he had to trust someone with it, someone with more resources than them. So when he heard his parents coming back, he carefully extricated himself from Blaine’s embrace, trying not to wake him, and made his way down the hall to explain everything to them.

“Hey, darling” Mary greeted him from the sofa when he made his way into the living room. “I thought you would be asleep by now”

“I have to tell you something” Sam told his parents gravely, sitting on a chair in front of them, and both of them could tell it was serious.

“Go on, dear” his mother encouraged him, when she felt there was something deeply troubling his son. “You know you can tell us anything”

“Blaine is in my room” Sam blurted out, not really knowing how to begin this conversation.

“Em... Sam, I don’t think that’s appropriate”

“Who’s Blaine?” his father asked.

“He’s... someone very special. Isn’t he?” Mary asked him, looking at her son knowingly.

“Yes, he is” Sam answered confidently. “But it’s not what you think, he left a while after you. But he’s back here now because...” Sam’s voice faltered, not finding the courage to put what had happened into words.

“What is it, dear? Is everything alright with Blaine?” his mother asked, worried, as she had really liked his son’s friend, or whatever he was to him.

“No, he... he left home and he didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I told him he could stay here”

“Sam, he can’t stay” Dwight reasoned with him. “I’m guessing he’s under aged?”

“Yes” Sam admitted reluctantly.

“Then his family could accuse us from kidnapping. He can’t stay here”

“But dad, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t really necessary”

“Why did he leave home, dear?” his mother asked, sensing something more serious than a teenager prank had happened.

“His father... his father beat him up. Pretty badly. That’s why he can’t go back”

“He did what?” his father asked to no one in particular, not being able to understand a parent hurting their child deliberately, and Mary just closed her eyes in sorrow. Blaine seemed such a sweet young man…

“Can he stay, please?” Sam insisted.

“Yes, of course he can stay” Dwight answered, this time with no hesitation. “But we’ll have to think what we are going to do in the morning”

“In the morning. Thank you” Sam told both of them, feeling really grateful once more of the family he had.

“You don’t have to thank us for anything, son” Sam’s father offered gently. “This boy needs our help... especially if he means that much to you”

“He really means a lot to me” Sam explained, blushing slightly at the confession. “Thank you. I’ll go back to him now. He was sleeping, but I don’t want him to find himself alone if he awakes”

“You go on, dear. Just... be there for him” his mother advised him, although by the love she saw in her son’s eyes, she knew there was no need.

**********

When Sam came back to the room, he was both saddened and moved to see that Blaine, sometime in his absence, had put on his jacket, the one Sam had given to him what it felt like a lifetime ago. He was holding onto it quite strongly, even in his sleep. It moved Sam to see how much that jacket meant to his boyfriend. But it saddened him because he knew the reason Blaine had picked it up had not been the cold, but the need for reassurance, to feel closer somehow to the only person he felt he could trust.

Feeling guilty he had not been at Blaine’s side when he had needed him, Sam quickly put on his own pajama and climbed into the bed again, bringing the covers more highly over both of them, as if they were going to shield them from such a cruel world. He only needed to lie down for Blaine to sense his presence and immediately curled to Sam’s side, nestling his head in the blond’s shoulder again, so Sam immediately put his arm around Blaine’s sleeping body protectively and tried to relax enough to accompany him in his slumber. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day.


	19. Chapter 19

Blaine awoke to the feel of a hand caressing the hair on his forehead, and he immediately took comfort on the fact that he was not at home and that he was with someone who cared about him. The dull ache he felt in some places of his body, especially his face and his middle, and the nightmares that had interrupted his sleep all night, had not let him forget for a moment what had happened the day before. And now, through his still closed eyelids, he could feel the morning sun, so he knew the day had come, and with him the need of finding a solution. God, how grateful he was of being with Sam... Even after all night, he was still taking care of him, Blaine thought with a smile as he opened his eyes.

When it was not Sam whom he saw sitting at the edge of the bed when he finally opened his eyes, he jumped and sat up, obviously startled. In his confusion, he needed a whole second to recognize Sam’s mother, and he sighed loudly to try and make his heart beat at normal speed again.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry I startled you” Mary apologized, as lovingly as she was able, when she noticed she had scared him. “I just came to see how you were”

“I’m... okay” Blaine answered, his voice only a thread, as he rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them.

“You’re not okay” she denied in a sad whisper, as she traced the outline of Blaine’s face with her thumb, mentally cataloguing his injuries. “How could you be okay?”

Blaine felt so moved by the tender way in which Sam’s mother cared about him that all he wanted to do was to burst out crying and fall into her embrace. But he had cried enough the night before. The time for tears had passed. Now it was the time for decisions.

“What... is going to happen now?” Blaine asked.

“Why don’t you come and have some breakfast first? Sam is there and he is not happy with me: he left the room when he woke up and has been dying to see you ever since, but I didn’t let him in again so he wouldn’t wake you up” Mary explained with a smile, and Blaine found himself responding to it with one of his own, such it was the warmth she gave off.

“Thank you, ma’am. For letting me stay the night” Blaine answered honestly, and she grabbed his hand to squeeze it.

“What did I tell you about calling me _ma’am_?” she asked, totally ignoring Blaine’s appraisal and getting him to chuckle. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast into you”

**********

“Morning” Blaine shyly said as he entered the living room.

“Blaine!” Sam happily exclaimed as he saw his boyfriend, immediately getting up from his seat to lightly embrace him. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright” he answered with a smile.

“Come and sit here to the table so you can eat something” Sam gently pushed him towards the table and pulled a chair out for him to sit, immediately sitting close to him in another chair so he could pamper and spoil him as much as he would let him.

“Hi, Blaine” Sam’s father, already at the table, immediately offered his hand for the boy to shake, more formal than his wife but equally kind. “I’m Dwight”

“Nice to meet you, sir” Blaine answered as politely as he was able, a bit overwhelmed at all the attentions being received.

“It’s a pity I get to know you... under these circumstances”

“I know” Blaine answered with a sad sigh.

“But I’m glad to meet you anyway. Sam won’t stop talking about you”

“Won’t he?” Blaine smiled tenderly as he turned to look at his boyfriend, who just returned the smile and shrugged his shoulders.

“Here you are, dear” Mary told him kindly as she deposited a plate full of food in front of him. “You need to get your strength back”

“Thank you so much, Mary. You’re all being so good to me...”

“Oh, please” Mary dismissed his appraisal once again. “I want to see that plate empty, okay?”

“Okay” Blaine promised with a grin.

“Mum makes the best breakfasts, you’ll see” Sam told him, resting his hand on Blaine’s thigh, feeling the need of keeping the contact with him.

“What time is it?” Blaine asked as he started eating.

“About nine, I guess”

“What? We are late for school!”

“Ah, see, Sam?” Dwight intervened with a chuckle, trying to keep a light atmosphere for the boy’s sake. “That’s what I call being responsible. You should learn a thing or two from him”

“Very funny, dad” Sam sarcastically replied.

“Blaine, we figured out it was for the best that you didn’t go to school today” Dwight explained, turning serious once again. “We... we have to think what we are going to do first, and we... we didn’t think you would like to go with all these bruises anyway”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” Blaine agreed with a sigh.

“Sam was supposed to go, but there was no way we could convince him to leave without you, so...” Dwight said, looking sternly at his son, but Blaine could guess a tender feeling in his eyes.

“I’m sorry for all the inconvenience I’m causing. I shouldn’t have come, but I really didn’t know what to do”

“Blaine, don’t apologize, please. None of this is your fault, and we are happy to help in anything we can. After all, you are our son’s... what, exactly?”

“He’s my boyfriend” Sam affirmed proudly, putting his arm around Blaine’s upper body as if to reinforce his words.

“There you are, then” Dwight continued with a fond smile. “We can’t leave Sam’s boyfriend in the lurch”

“See? _This_ is what you deserve” Sam told him pointedly, once again squeezing his thigh with his free hand, and Blaine picked it up to squeeze it in appreciation.

“I don’t even know what to say” Blaine confessed, too moved to find the words to express the gratitude he was feeling, so Sam kissed his cheek comfortingly, eliciting a smile from him.

“You don’t have to say anything, son” Dwight insisted. “But we have to decide what we want to do”

“Okay” Blaine nodded confidently, and Sam noticed that the vulnerable and fearful Blaine from the night before had been buried deep in his sleep, and Blaine the survivor had taken his place, once again.

“Maybe we should take you to the hospital” Mary intervened, as she had been appalled at the angry-looking marks on his face –and she more than suspected that those marks wouldn’t only be on his face.

“I don’t think it’s necessary” Blaine immediately refused, which didn’t surprise his boyfriend at all. “It’s just a couple of bruises, and Sam already took care of them last night”

“It’s more than just a couple of bruises, son” Mary lamented with a sad shake of her head.

“Even then…” Blaine tried to convince her, practically begging to let go of it, and Sam sent her mother a knowing look, pleading for her to let it go.

“I’m sure he should know better than anyone if he needs to see a doctor or not, Mary” Dwight interrupted, putting an end to the conversation as he could also see how uncomfortable it made the young man to even think about being more exposed than he already was. Even though he knew his own suggestion wasn’t going to be better received. “But... we need to file a complaint against you’re your father”

“To… report him?” Blaine asked in astonishment, as if that thought had even crossed his mind before.

“Yes, otherwise it’s like he hasn’t done anything to the eyes of justice” Mary explained, the idea of that sweet boy returning to his father physically hurting her heart.

“I hadn’t... I hadn’t even thought about that. I don’t know if I want to cause that kind of trouble for him”

“We understand, I know this is very hard, but I guess it’s the only way you will not have to go back to him” Mary insisted, her heart breaking at the devastation in Blaine’s expressive eyes.

“I had never imagined it would end up like that” Blaine lamented, resting his face in his hands, and Sam was there in an instant to stroke the back of his head in a comforting gesture.

“I’ll go with you” Dwight offered when he noticed the internal conflict in Blaine’s mind.

“We both will” Sam promised, and Blaine lifted his head to look at him, to find the courage he desperately needed to do what he had to do. And when he found it in Sam’s eyes, he nodded reluctantly. It was the only way.

“Okay then, it’s decided. But finish your breakfast first or you’ll never hear the end of it” Dwight joked lightly, gesturing with his head towards his wife, and both Blaine and Sam appreciated his effort and gave him a small smile, before Blaine resumed his eating, the pressure on his chest a little lighter now that a decision had been made.

**********

“Where the hell are those two?” Sebastian asked, when the teacher arrived and there was still no sign of Blaine and Sam.

“Maybe they’re sick” Mike tried to find an answer for their unusual absence.

“Both of them at the same time?”

“Well, if one of them catches a cold is pretty probable the other will too, ain’t it?” Puck joked. “With all the kissing and everything”

“But they were fine yesterday” Sebastian insisted.

“I’m sure they just decided to be a bit crazy and skip the classes together for a day” Mike suggested.

“Skip the classes? Hello, have you just met Blaine?” Sebastian asked them, sarcastically.

“Blaine may be responsible, but he’s still a teenager in love. I’m sure they found something more interesting to invest their time in” Puck answered.

“I don’t know...” Sebastian hesitated. He knew what the other boys were saying was completely logical and possible, but he had a bad feeling something had happened. And besides, he was sure that if Blaine and Sam had indeed decided to play hooky, Sam would have texted him to explain. And he hadn’t.

The class went on normally, Sebastian making an extra effort to write some good notes to lend them to Sam and Blaine when they got back, when there was suddenly a knock on the door and the headmaster entered to whisper something to the teacher. Sebastian’s heart leapt when he looked at the door and realized there were two policemen outside the classroom, having a certainness that something bad had happened and somehow it involved his friends.

“Sebastian” the teacher suddenly called him, getting his attention immediately. “Could you please accompany the headmaster for a second? He needs to have a word with you”

“Sure” Sebastian answered, his heart beating like crazy at all the horrible things he was imagining could have happened to his friends, and stood up to follow the headmaster. Before he went, he looked at Mike and Puck, and by their faces he could tell they were feeling as afraid as he was.

**********

“Take a seat, Sebastian, please” the headmaster offered as they got to his office, pointing at the chair at the opposite side of his desk. Sebastian noticed he was being especially kind today, and that frightened even more than the fact that the two policemen were standing behind him.

“Has something happened, sir?” Sebastian asked, not being able to resist anymore.

“We were hoping you could help us with that” one of the policemen answered, and Sebastian immediately turned to the headmaster again.

“With what?”

“You see... I understand you are friends with Blaine Anderson, aren’t you?” the headmaster asked under the watchful eyes of the policemen.

“Yes, I am. Is he alright?” Sebastian asked, more and more worried by the second.

“He ran away from his home yesterday and he’s been disappeared since then”

“He ran away?” Sebastian was astounded at the news. “Why?”

“His father says Blaine hit him, so he must have been scared of the consequences and ran away”

“Blaine hit his father? That doesn’t make any sense. If anything it would be...” Sebastian started, but then he realized he was talking too much and shut up. Too late, though, as one of the policemen approached him and bent over at his side so as not to look so threatening.

“If anything what?” he asked politely.

“I don’t know” Sebastian shook his head in negation.

“What were you going to say?” the policeman insisted.

“I... I don’t know” Sebastian repeated, not really knowing what to say.

“Look, I know it’s difficult, but it’s very important. If Blaine is your friend, you must do everything you can to help him”

Sebastian sighed, trying to win some time to think. He knew the policeman was right: he had to help Blaine. And he had to make them understand how Blaine would never hurt anyone, much less punch his father, if not for a good reason.

“He has never told me this, but I think his father abuses him, or at least he’s done it at some point. So... I’m thinking it mustn’t have been Blaine hitting his father, but the other way around”

“You mean... it has happened before?”

“I don’t know... but I’ve seen him a couple of times sporting bruises he didn’t know how to explain. And I know he doesn’t get along with his father” Sebastian explained, hoping against hope he was not revealing too much information and Blaine wouldn’t hate him for this.

“Blaine is best friends with Sam Evans, isn’t he?” the headmaster caught his attention again. So that was why they wanted to talk to him: because they had wanted to talk to Sam and he wasn’t there, and the teachers knew Sebastian was the closest friend to them both. They wanted him to tell them Blaine was with Sam, he knew now. But he was not going to. Besides, he didn’t even know for sure, even if he had the strongest suspicion.

“Em... yes” he lied.

“His father seems to think Blaine is in some kind of relationship with another student. That’s kind of why they fought” the headmaster told him, waiting for an answer from Sebastian.

“That’s not any of my business” Sebastian answered, refusing to give any details about Sam and Blaine’s relationship. If they didn’t know, he was not going to be the one to tell them. And it they knew... well, he confirming it wasn’t going to change anything, was it?

“I understand. But Sam hasn’t been to school today either. Do you know anything about this?”

“No” he answered, completely honest this time.

“Son, if you know anything...”

“I don’t, I swear. In fact, I was very surprised when both of them failed to come today”

“Was everything alright with them yesterday?”

“Yes, they were perfectly fine”

“Well, we have everything we need” the policeman who still had to say a word announced, and both of them left the office, followed by the headmaster, as Sebastian stayed, rooted to his place. What the hell had happened? Was Blaine okay? Was Sam with him? He thought he was going to pass out from distress when he remembered he had his phone on his pocket. He obviously couldn’t make a call, as the headmaster could return any time. But he could send a text message to Sam, and try and get some information that would calm his nerves to at least be able to breathe easier.

He hoped Sam would answer soon.

*********

_Sam, what the hell is happening? The police is here, asking questions about you and Blaine, they say he’s disappeared. Is he with you? And where are you?_

“We have a problem” Sam informed Blaine and his parents, once he had read Sebastian’s message.

“What is it?” Blaine asked, intuition making him fear the worst.

“Sebastian says the police are at school asking questions about you”

“Oh my God” Blaine exclaimed, hiding his face behind his hands in a nervous gesture.

“Well, we knew this could happen, didn’t we?” Dwight tried to remain calm for the sake of everybody.

“I have to go” Blaine announced all of a sudden, jumping from his chair, and would have made it out of the room if Sam hadn’t gently grabbed his arm to stop him.

“What? Where?”

“I don’t know, anywhere, just... They can’t find me here, or you’ll all have trouble because of me”

“In that case... I’m going with you” Sam promised, picking up Blaine’s hand to pull him before he could protest.

“Boys, calm down” Dwight stood up too and moved to stand behind them, resting each one of his hands in one of the boys’ shoulder. “No one is going anywhere. We’ll wait for them here and explain everything to them and then we’ll go on with our plans, okay? Let’s not be foolish, there’s too much at stake”

Sam and Blaine looked at each other, as if mentally debating what to do.

“If you have any problems because of me...” Blaine told Dwight, and the latter squeezed his shoulder, sympathetically.

“We won’t. And even if we did, it was our decision, okay? Now if you’re finished having breakfast, you both go and get dressed. Come on” He gently pushed them, trying to give them something to do to take their minds off even if it was only for a second.

Once in the room, Blaine sat tiredly in the bed and once again covered his face with his hands, in a gesture that had become too frequent in the last hours.

“I should have never come here” Blaine whispered from behind his hands, but Sam heard it all the same and rushed to him, sitting by his side and encircling him in a strong embrace, pushing Blaine’s head on his own shoulder.

“I’m so glad you did. God knows where you would be if you hadn’t...” _Or in what condition_ , he added mentally, not wanting to think what would have happened if Blaine hadn’t left his home the night before.

“But look at all the trouble I’ve caused... If my father called the police and now they are making questions in school, they’ll figure out I’m here in a second!”

“It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t change a thing, my father already told you! We’ll file a complaint and everything we’ll be alright”

“It won’t be that easy... I just hope your parents won’t have to pay for my mistake”

“How is this your mistake?” Sam asked him in bewilderment.

“I knew this could happen, and I still came” Blaine insisted, not ready to stop blaming himself yet.

“You had nowhere else to go, so I don’t want to hear again that it was a mistake, okay? It was the only thing you could do”

“But...”

“No buts. It was the only thing you could do” Sam repeated, accompanying his words with a kiss to Blaine’s forehead for good measure. “And now let’s get dressed. I’ll lend you some clothes. They might look a bit big on you, but I’m sure you’ll be as gorgeous as ever” Sam joked, and was delighted to elicit a small chuckle from Blaine.

“Sycophant” Blaine teased him.

“Yes, that’s me. Anything to get one of those beautiful smiles of yours” Sam joked back. “And now let me reply to Sebastian. I won’t tell him anything, so he doesn’t have to lie if they ask him too many questions, but he must be worried sick”

**********

_I can’t talk, mate, just in case. You just... don’t worry, okay?_

Okay, that was not the answer he had been expecting, as it gave him no information at all. Not even if Blaine was there. But it was obvious he was, because Sam hadn’t been surprised at the fact that Blaine had disappeared nor he had made any questions about it.

At least it made him feel a little better. The police were only looking for Blaine, not Sam, so it was not like they had disappeared together. And if Blaine was obviously with Sam, it meant they both must be at Sam’s home. And they would be safe there.

Some voices took Sebastian out of his own thoughts, and he realized the headmaster had not completely closed the door behind him. A voice he didn’t recognize was reproaching the others they had not found out anything yet, so Sebastian supposed that must be Blaine’s father. He seemed pretty angry and very rude. Nothing like Blaine’s voice, always so warm and kind. One of the policemen tried to calm him down, and they told him they could guess where his son was, and that they would be going there immediately. Sebastian hurried to send another message, wanting to warn his friends so they would be prepared.

**********

_I get it, mate. I think they’re going to your home. Please, call me when it’s safe and tell me._

“What does he say?” Blaine asked when he heard the beep while he put on a jumper Sam had lend him, one that Sam knew he loved and had given to him on purpose just to spoil him a little.

“He... he says they are coming over” Sam confessed. “It’s okay. Nothing is going to happen, okay?”

“How can you say that? A lot of things could happen: your parents could have problems, I could be made to...” Blaine started to enumerate, but Sam stopped him with a finger to his lips.

“Do you trust me?” he asked him.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with that” Blaine protested, fearing that Sam was being a little too optimistic and not really understanding the seriousness of his situation.

“I asked if you trust me” Sam repeated, picking up both Blaine’s hands in his own ones.

“Yes” Blaine reluctantly answered, and Sam took the chance to embrace him strongly to his chest.

“Then everything will be alright in the end. I promise” Sam said, much more confident than he was really feeling, as he squeezed Blaine and kissed his neck. Things did have to go well. They wouldn’t take it any other way.

**********

Blaine and Sam sat together in the latter’s bed, with the latter’s arms around his boyfriend, in silence, just waiting and taking comfort in the presence of the other, until the doorbell rang. Sam immediately felt Blaine’s muscles tensing, and he squeezed him once more to show him his support before standing up and pulling Blaine’s hand as they walked to the door of the room.

Sam’s parents were already at the front door, and they looked at each other in silent agreement before answering.

“Is my son here?” Blaine’s father rudely asked, as soon as the door was opened.

“And you are...?” Dwight asked him, kind if cheekily, wanting to show he was not afraid nor did he regret anything. The only thing he felt while looking at that man was repulse, and he would surely have closed the door to his face if he hadn’t been accompanied by two policemen.

“Please, Mr. Anderson. Let us do the questions” one of the policemen asked him, as he put himself in between the two men. “Mr. Evans?”

“That’s me”

“We would like to make a few questions, if you would be so kind”

Dwight hesitated for a second, but he understood that they needed to give a good impression, so it would not be wise to make it difficult. He reluctantly nodded and moved aside as an invitation for them to enter.

“Let’s not beat about the bushes” Dwight politely demanded, once they were all in the living room. “What do you want?”

“We are looking for Mr. Anderson’s son. He disappeared last night and we think he might be here. Is he?”

“Yes, he is” Dwight answered in a confident voice, knowing there was no point in denying it. Sam could feel Blaine trembling at that from the door of his bedroom where they were standing, and he hurried to press his chest against Blaine’s back and encircle him with his arms in a supporting embrace.

“Okay, Mr. Anderson is willing to forget about all this if Blaine comes back home with him and you don’t stay in their way”

“And why would I stay in the way, Mr. Anderson?” Dwight sarcastically asked. “Is there any reason why I should?”

“I don’t know what Blaine has told you, but the truth is we fought and he punched me before running away. I am willing to forgive him, but he has to come back where he belongs, and not with some strangers”

“What?” Blaine whispered, not able to believe his father had the guts to say it had been him who had started the fight, and closed his eyes to control his tears as he felt Sam’s lips on his temple, giving him a sympathetic kiss.

“That’s not what Blaine says” Dwight replied, still as politely as before but noticeable angrier.

“Of course not, he’s a hell of a liar, just like his mother was”

“You leave my mother out of this!” Blaine yelled as he extricated himself from Sam’s embrace before he could react and made his way towards his father, as angry as he had ever seen him, until Dwight gently stopped him with a hand to his chest.

“Easy, Blaine” Dwight whispered to him, in an attempt of calming him down.

“You see now how impulsive he is? He should be glad I’m willing to forgive him in spite of the punch he gave me” Don answered, while exaggeratedly rubbing the bruised area on his chin where Blaine’s fist had impacted in his need to defend himself.

“Forgive him?” now it was Sam’s turn to get angry, as he arrived at Blaine’s side. “He hurt you? How do you have the guts to say he hurt you? Look at him!” Sam yelled at the policemen, gently grabbing Blaine’s face to show them the bruises and lifting his jumper to show the bruises on his middle and back. “Where do you think these bruises come from?”

“Sam, calm down now” Mary asked her son, rubbing her hand across his shoulder, and he obeyed his mother, all the while holding Blaine’s hand in his.

“Now you’ve seen why he came here last night, absolutely terrified and in pain” Dwight told the policemen, whose faces had changed dramatically to grave expressions.

“He still has to go back to his father” one of them stated, lowering his gaze down on shame.

“What? Have you not seen what that monster has done to his own son?” Dwight accused them. “I won’t let Blaine go back to him!”

“If he stays here, you will be accused of kidnapping”    

“That man beats him and I’m the one who’s committing a crime? Blaine is staying here on his own accord”

“Yes, but he’s under aged, and he’s on his father’s custody” the policemen explained, and it was clear to everyone in that room that at that moment he really hated his job.

“I don’t know where my son got all those injuries, but I want him home so I can take care of him” Don lied, but he could see he was not fooling anyone.

“Yes, he cares so much about him that Blaine left yesterday evening and he’s called the police now” Sam replied, but his father send him a glance that ordered him to shut up, so he did.

“I’m sorry, I really am, but I can do nothing about it” the policeman apologized. “As long as a judge doesn’t remove his guardianship over his son, the boy has to go back to him”

“I can’t believe this. You’ve seen what this man has done, you’ve seen the blows” Dwight insisted, blaming a system that forced a boy to go back to a father that had beaten him.

“I’m sorry”

“I cannot let him go with him”

“I’ll report you if I have to and you’ll end up in jail” Don threatened, infuriating Dwight even more.

“Just try, son of a bitch!” Dwight yelled, and Blaine understood they had finally reached a point of no return, and it was only in his hands to put an end to it.

“No, Mr. Evans” Blaine stopped him. “I can’t let anyone else get involved in this. I’ll go with him”

“What? No way!” Sam shouted, his heart going faster at the prospect of his boyfriend going back to that madman.

“He’s not going to do anything to me now, he’s not an idiot” Blaine tried to convince his boyfriend he was going to be alright, even if he was not so sure himself.

“You can’t go with him” Sam pleaded.

“Sam, there’s no other way”

“Sam, he’s right” Dwight intervened, trying to help Blaine. “If we want to do things right, he has to go with him now”

“But dad, I can’t believe...” Sam protested, not being able to believe his father would surrender so easily, but his father didn’t even let him finish.

“Sam, we are not leaving him to his fate. We are fighting for him. We just have to do things the right way”

Sam knew he had been outnumbered in this, and his heart broke at the lost battle. Blaine could easily read all the emotions in Sam’s eyes, and his heart went to him, but there was nothing he could do to avoid his pain.

“Thank you for everything, Mr. Evans, Mary” Blaine honestly appreciated their help, and wanted to let them know.

“Oh honey” Mary lamented, embracing Blaine to her as if he was his own son. “Take good care of yourself. We’ll get you out of there”

“Thanks” was all Blaine could answer, his voice only a thread caused by the knot forming on his throat.

“I mean it, Blaine. This is not over. We’ll do everything in our hands” Dwight told him, strongly squeezing his shoulder, and Blaine just nodded before turning up to Sam.

“Please, try not to worry too much” Blaine pleaded, cupping Sam’s cheeks with his hands. “I’ll be alright”

“How can I be sure?” Sam answered, his eyes rapidly filling with tears.

“Because it won’t be long, remember?” Blaine answered, embracing Sam strongly to comfort him as the latter sobbed silently. Blaine wanted to cry too, to burst out in tears and yell at the injustice of it, to punch the walls and kick the floor at the rage he was feeling, but he couldn’t. He had to stay strong for Sam. He had to be able to cross the door with dry eyes and a calm appearance, so Sam didn’t have to see how he was dying inside and how afraid he was. Sam had worried enough about him. He owed him that.

“Take care, you hear me?” Sam ordered him, now he being the one cupping Blaine’s face. “Do whatever you need to do to stay safe and... come back if you need us again”

“I will”

“Promise me”

“I promise”

Sam captured Blaine’s lips in an urgent and desperate kiss, not minding at all about the huge audience they had and then embraced him strongly once again until one of the policemen gently pushed Blaine towards the door, followed immediately by his father. The other policemen, though, stayed behind for a second, his face a mask of regret and disgust at the situation.

“Please, file a complaint against that… man as soon as possible so the whole process can get started. We’ll keep an eye on him meanwhile” he promised and, with that, they were all gone. Suddenly, with Sam’s soft sobs as the only noise in it, the house felt almost as empty as their hearts.


	20. Chapter 20

“Come on, Sam” Mary said with a tender hand to her son’s shoulder while her husband closed the front door. “Let’s try and calm down now, ok?”

“But Mom… he’s gone” Sam answered between sobs even if he let himself be pulled towards the sofa by his mother’s caring hand. “He’s back with that monster”

“We’ll get him out of there” she assured him without any trace of doubt. “We promised him we would and we will”

“And what if…?” Sam tried to protest, but this time it was his father trying to reassure him.

“Sam, you know us enough to know we aren’t leaving him to his fate” Dwight promised. “We’ll do everything in our hands”

“Thank you, guys” Sam said, a bit comforted by the fact that his parents were going to fight for Blaine… even if they had just known him. “Listen, I’m… I’m sorry I hadn’t told you about Blaine being my boyfriend, I don’t even know why I didn’t… I guess it was just… embarrassing talking about my feelings like that”

“Well, I can’t say I didn’t have my suspicions about it” Mary confessed with the ghost of a smile on her face, glad for the chance to lighten the mood a bit.

“You knew?” Sam asked in astonishment, even forgetting about his sorrow for a second at the surprise that his mother had known about them all along.

“Well, it’s not like you were that great in hiding it, you know?” she said as she tenderly dried the remains of tears on Sam’s cheeks. “I mean, I had never seen you as happy as you’ve been since the beginning of the school year, you know. So talkative and warm and with a constant smile on your face”

“Really?” Sam said, as he hadn’t realized what an enormous change Blaine had represented in him until then.

“And suddenly this new boy at school was everything you talked about: how Blaine was so nice, how funny he was, what a great addition to your band he had become, how great he was that he was helping you with your studies so much… I don’t think you’d ever set a foot on the library before, by the way, and then all of a sudden it was as if you didn’t want to be anywhere else”

“I really didn’t want to be anywhere else” Sam mumbled while his cheeks warmed impossibly with embarrassment as he remembered how everything between them had started –even if it wasn’t necessary because his mother had it all figured out.

“Every time you speak about him, which is quite often whether you realize it or not, your face softens and you get an unique smile on your face. How was I supposed not to notice?”

“Why didn’t you say anything if you knew?”

“Because I figured you’d tell us when you were ready. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable”

“You are the best” Sam gratefully said as he enveloped his mother in a strong embrace, very aware of lucky he was for the family he had –especially if he compared his situation with Blaine’s–. “I wish you had gotten the chance to know him better. You would have loved him so much”

“And I will get to know him so much better” she confidently answered, caressing the hair in the back of her son’s head before letting go of him. “Although I have to say I love him already”

“So do I” Sam agreed with a chuckle that also elicited laughs in both his parents.

“We can see that” Mary answered. “Especially considering that jacket he was wearing seemed very familiar to me…”

“I’m sorry about that, and about lying to you about it” Sam immediately apologized, blushing again.

“Why did you give it to him? You had worked a lot to get it” Mary asked, with more curiosity than reproach in her voice, Sam noticed.

“Because… he needed it” Sam answered, because for him it was as simple as that, and Mary had never felt prouder of her son as he did in that moment.

“You could have given him your old jacket, the one you’re going to keep wearing all year now”

“I know, but… I wanted for him to have something nice, you know? He deserved something good happening to him”

“You know what?” Dwight intervened, also feeling incredibly proud of his oldest son. “In spite of everything, he is kind of a lucky guy”

“That’s what he would say” Sam said with a sad smile as a stray tear managed to find its paths down his cheek again. “Gosh, I need him to be alright”

“And he will be, if we have any say in it” Dwight promised again with a comforting squeeze to Sam’s thigh that did little to calm his wounded heart.

**********

When Blaine closed the door of the flat he was forced to share with his father, he felt as if his heart was shattering into pieces. For a couple of hours he had experienced what life was with a nice family who cared about him –even if they had just met him– and with a loving boyfriend who wouldn’t move an inch away from him and would pamper him to no extent. And now here he was again, with a person who had the same blood than him but didn’t give a damn about him. The loneliness and the coldness from his home seemed to be even bigger than before, now that he knew how nice life could really be with the right people.

“Hope you’re satisfied with all the show you’ve caused with your stupid prank” his father told him, without even taking the bother of looking at him, but Blaine didn’t give him the satisfaction of answering. “I won’t transfer you to another school because I don’t want people asking too many questions, and it would be too much trouble for only six months until you finish. But from now on, you’ll go, take your classes, and return immediately after that, is that clear? Not hanging out with your friends, especially that... Sam. I’ve never felt so ashamed in my life as I did when I had to tell the policemen you were messing around with a fellow student, and you won’t embarrass me again like that. And now go to your room. And from now on, I expect you to spend as much time as possible there, so I don’t have to see you constantly” and with that, he was about to move away from his son when Blaine couldn’t help it anymore and talked.

“Why?” was all Blaine felt able to say.

“Why what?” Don asked him, still with his back to him, as if he would lower himself just by looking at the boy.

“Why did you have to make me come back, if you hate me so much? Why couldn’t you just leave me there?”

“It’s not because I want you here, rest assured. But until you come off age, I’m your legal guardian and you’re my responsibility to the eyes of the law. Neither of us like it, but things are like that. The sooner you assume it, the easier it will be for both of us” and with that, and without having looked at Blaine even once, he closed the door of the living-room in Blaine’s face, leaving him out so his only option was to go to his room, like his father had ordered.

The last thing Blaine wanted to do was to fall into despair: he was not giving his father that satisfaction. And he knew he was stronger than that. Since his mother had died, surviving had become a battle for him, and he was determined to win. Whatever it took. Even if it meant going away and never looking back, he thought as he started packing the little he had.

**********

“So what did they tell you exactly?” Puck asked for what it felt like the hundredth time that day once the bell rang and the last class of the day was dismissed.

“I already told you, Puck” Sebastian answered patiently, as he knew the other two were just as worried as he was. “They didn’t say much, only that Blaine had ran away from home last night and his father was accusing him of hitting him”

“But that makes no sense!” Mike protested, infuriated on his friend’s behalf. “Can you imagine Blaine hitting anybody, much less his own father? Do you remember how affected he was when you and Sam fought? He would never do that”

“Yeah, I know, it makes no sense at all” Sebastian nodded. “Boys, I’ve never told you this before, but I’ve got strong suspicions that Blaine’s father...”

“That he abuses him, right?” Mike finished the sentence for him.

“How do you know?”

“I don’t know anything, I just have the impression. Same as you, I guess” Mike answered, shrugging his shoulders.

“God, I need to know what happened yesterday” Sebastian groaned, more worried than ever now that his suspicions had been kind of confirmed when he could see Mike had the exact same ones. “Sam said not to worry, but...”

“Why don’t you call him?” Puck suggested.

“You think? What if it’s a bad moment for him to talk?”

“If it’s a bad moment he won’t pick it up. But why not try?” Puck insisted.

“You’re right. You’re right, I’ll call him right now” Sebastian decided as he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Sam’s number. “Sam? Oh, thank God, man!” Sebastian let the breath he had been holding when his best friend answered his call, while Puck and Mike stood at his side to try to understand the conversation by listening to Sebastian’s half of it. “What the hell happened?... ...What? Oh, my God, and is he alright?... ...You must be kidding, you mean... he’s not there now?... ...Wait, Sam, I’m not following you, calm down. Do you want us to come over? We can be there in ten minutes... ...It’s no trouble at all, we are coming over, okay? Just... just relax... ... Bye, mate” Sebastian sighed loudly as his phone was left in his pocket again.

“What? What did he tell you?” Mike asked, worried sick by then by the grave expression in Sebastian’s face.

“Boys, it was even worse than we imagined. Blaine was beaten up pretty badly yesterday by his father and everything’s gone worse ever since. Sam needs us” Sebastian explained, wordlessly asking them to go and support their friend with him.

“Of course” Puck nodded, quickly starting to walk out of the building. “You tell us everything on our way there”

**********

“If you had seen him when he came...” Sam explained to his friends, all of them sitting around him in his room. He knew he couldn’t keep hiding Blaine’s nightmare from them anymore, it had been exposed already anyway; and besides, they cared about Blaine too much to let it go, and Sam really needed to share it with them, so he had explained everything to them. “He was so scared, and ashamed he had hit his father... And all the bruises covering his face and body...”

Sam started sobbing for the second time that day, all the pain and rage he had been hiding on Blaine’s benefit finally asphyxiating him, and he lowered his face so he didn’t have to see the sadness and compassion in his friends’ eyes. Sebastian, not being able to see his friend in so much pain without doing something about it, took pity on him and came to sit on the bed next to him, putting his arm around Sam’s shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, Sam... I can’t believe he’s had to go through all that...”

“No, don’t talk like it’s all in the past. It’s not even twenty-four hours later and he’s with him again. Who knows if he’s hurting him right now...”

“No, Sam, don’t think like that” Sebastian told him gently, as he squeezed Sam’s shoulder. “You told us the policemen saw Blaine’s injuries, didn’t they? That man may be wicked, but he’s not an idiot: he’s not going to hurt him now he knows he’s being watched”

“That’s what Blaine said”

“Because it’s true”

“No, he said that so I wouldn’t worry”

“That doesn’t make it less true”    

“And so what if he doesn’t beat him anymore? That doesn’t mean Blaine will be alright. What if his father doesn’t let him come back to school? Or takes his phone away from him so he can’t talk to me? All of this started because he found out about us, and he said he was not willing to have a fag as a son”

“Sam, let’s just not jump the gun, okay? Let’s see how everything goes before we start worrying about it. Maybe your parents will be able to do something about it...”

“Yes, they are at the police station right now reporting Blaine’s father, but I don’t know if that will make any good”

“Well, let’s trust it will, okay?”

Sam was about to reply, unconvinced he should stop worrying, when his phone started ringing. He quickly grabbed it from his nightstand and looked at the screen to see who the caller was. When he saw it was Blaine, though, he didn’t know if he should be happy to hear from him or worried he might be calling for help.

“It’s Blaine!” Sam informed the others, obviously fretting with worry. “Oh my God, I hope he is okay...”

“You won’t know if you don’t pick it up” Puck gently rushed him.

“Blaine!” Sam exclaimed when he picked up his phone. “Is everything alright, babe? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay, Sam, don’t worry” Blaine whispered.

“Are you sure everything is okay? Why are you whispering?”

“I’m whispering because I don’t want him to hear me. But I’m okay, really. Listen... I’m calling you to say goodbye”

“What?” Sam was so worried that he was having trouble understanding where this conversation was leading.

“I’m leaving” Blaine explained, sounding more confident that he really felt.

“Wait, Blaine, I don’t get it... What do you mean you’re leaving?” Sam asked, and the others immediately tensed at that.

“I just... I thought I would be able to stand it until July, but I can’t” Blaine was trying hard not to cry, but Sam knew him better than that and could hear the tears in his voice. “I can’t stand being under the same roof as that man anymore. I hate him, Sam. Gosh, I hate him so much… and I don’t like feeling like that. I’ve packed the little I have and I’m leaving now that he is taking a nap”

“But wait, Blaine, where are you going to go? Let’s talk about it, we can find a solution” Sam pleaded, terrified that if Blaine left, he would never hear from him again.

“Sam, there is no solution” Blaine answered sadly. “You saw how the police did nothing. Nobody cares about what goes on inside people’s houses”

“But my parents are trying! They are filing a formal complaint as we talk!”

“And how do we know it’s going to work? And even if it works, how long is it going to take? No, Sam, I can’t wait. I can’t live constantly in hate or in fear. I’m leaving”

“Can’t we talk about it, please?” Sam knew he was begging, but he didn’t care. He would do anything to stop Blaine from disappearing from his life.

“Sam, I didn’t call you to have a debate. I just called to say goodbye” Blaine’s voice shook as he talk, and that just proved to Sam how serious he was about leaving.

“Okay, if there is no way to convince you to stay, then I’m coming with you!” Sam offered, and the three friends with him just looked at each other, not knowing what to think.

“No, you’re not” Blaine answered as calmly as he could, not surprised at all about Sam’s offer –it was practically as if he had been waiting for it–. “I’m not letting you get your life ruined for me. We’ll reunite again in the summer, when you have finished school and we both are eighteen, if you still want me by then”

“No, no, no, that’s too long”

“If we really love each other we can make it”

“It’s not just that! I can’t let you go on your own! How will I know you’re alright?”

“I’ll try to keep in contact with you”

“No, that’s not good enough. I have to go with you, so we can take care of each other. You’re not alone, you don’t have to do this on your own”

“Yes, I have to. I’m leaving my phone behind so they can’t track me, so you won’t be able to call me for now. But I will get in contact with you soon, I promise. Goodbye, Sam”

“Please, Blaine, don’t do this to me. I can’t be without you” Sam’s voice broke as tears starting falling down his cheeks as he was rapidly losing hope in convincing stubborn Blaine.

“You’ll have to try” Sam could hardly hear Blaine’s voice anymore, so soft it was due to the tears he undoubtedly would be shedding right now, and he knew he had to try to reach him through that sentiment.

“You can’t go. You gave me the key, remember?”

“It was just a silly gift” Blaine answered, trying hard not to sob.

“No, it wasn’t. I know you meant it” Sam insisted, not ready yet to surrender.

“It doesn’t matter anymore” Blaine whispered, and when Sam heard that sad resignation on his voice, he understood there was no way he was going to make him change his mind.

“Blaine, no, you can’t…” he insisted one last time, even though he knew it was to no avail.

“I love you, Sam. Never forget that” and with that, Blaine hung down and the silence that was left at the other end of the line resounded on Sam’s heart, leaving it empty.

The room fell into silence too, as the boys had listened enough to understand what had happened, and they couldn’t find the right words to say to the obviously broken-hearted Sam.

“He’s leaving” Sam finally said, his voice filled with a painful sadness. “Boys, he’s gone”

“But…” Mike started, obviously trying to find an explanation for Blaine’s sudden decision, but he couldn’t.

“He can’t stand it anymore” Sam explained as in a trance, his gaze lost in something they couldn’t see. He looked like a broken person, like someone who had lost all hope.

“And what are you doing here?” Puck asked him, all of a sudden.

“What?” Sam went out of his stupor, confused.

“I said what the hell are you doing just sitting there?” Puck reproached him, with the only intention of making him react.

“He said he doesn’t want me to go with him” Sam defended himself.

“And since when do you listen to what you are told? I thought there was some courage in you”

“You have to go with him” Mike intervened, more gently. “You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t”

“You are my friends” Sam told them with a sad smile. “You are supposed to try and take the idea out of my mind, not to push me into it. I thought you’d try to convince me to do the sensible thing”

“And who says the sensible thing is the good thing?” Sebastian reasoned with him. “You have to do what your heart tells you, Sam. And I know and you know what it’s telling you, so…”

“I’m going with him” Sam affirmed, confident, as he opened the wardrobe and took a bag out of it and started filling it with clothes.

“Yay!” Mike exclaimed, happy at the new resolution of their love story.

“But how are we going to do it? We don’t know where he is” Sebastian, always the prudent one, asked.

“We have to stop him before he leaves town or we will never find him, right?” Puck said.

“Yes” Sam answered, without stopping his packing.

“Okay, so here’s what we are going to do: Sam, you quickly pack some things and then you and Sebastian will go to the bus station. Mike can go to the train station and I’m leaving right away to see if I can still catch him around his neighborhood. You all have your phones at hand at all time, okay? The one who finds him, and we will find him, immediately warns the others, okay? Good luck, guys” Puck suggested, and before anybody could say anything, he was already at the door. No one said anything to stop him, though. It was a perfect plan.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to spoil you with the second chapter of the day ;) Please, enjoy it!

“Come on, Seb! Walk a little bit faster, please!” Sam begged his best friend, walking so fast that he was almost running, as they both hurried to the bus station, where they hoped they would find Blaine before he went out of town.

“I’m doing everything I can, Sam” Sebastian panted, trying to keep up with Sam even if he had never been as athletic as his best friend.

“How can that be? I’m carrying my full bag and I’m still faster than you!”

“Yeah, but I’m so much more intelligent than you… Taxi!” Sebastian raised his hand when he saw a taxi cab passing by, and immediately ran to it to hop inside.

“Seb, if I’m leaving with Blaine I can’t be spending the little money I have in something like this” Sam protested.

“Don’t worry, it’s on me. Whatever it takes to stop running” Sebastian joked as he pushed Sam inside, making the latter smile in gratitude. If he finally could find Blaine and leave with him, he would be forever in debt with his wonderful friends.

**********

Puck was getting tired, but he kept going around Blaine’s home –each time making the circle a little wider– with the hope of stopping him in his way to... wherever the hell he was going. But unfortunately there was no trace of him. He probably was already at the door when he had called Sam, and then he had rushed wherever he was going.

Even if he knew it was more improbable that he was going to find Blaine at each passing moment, he would not surrender until one of the boys texted the others saying he had found him. Then, and only then, would he stop his search. He might not always be as demonstrative or attentive as the other boys, but he cared about his friends very much, and now it was the perfect time to prove it.

**********

Mike arrived to the train station as fast as he could, hoping against hope he was not too late. When he arrived, though, for a second he felt overwhelmed at the size of the station and the amount of people in it, as it was almost as looking for a needle in a haystack. But he didn’t fall into despair, and he quickly started walking around the hall, trying to stop his friend from doing the biggest mistake of his life.

**********

Sam and Sebastian arrived pretty fast to the bus station, and didn’t even bother to stop running as they made it to the vehicles’ area. They separated and each one of them took a row of buses, making sure to look both around and inside each one of them, hope diminishing after being disappointed one time after the other.

“He’s not here, Seb” Sam told him, desperation clear in his voice, as they reunited again at the end of their search.

“Okay, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s already gone, just that he was never here in the first place” Sebastian calmly reasoned with him.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” Sam conceded with a sad sigh.

“We should go to the station and help Mike to look for him there. It’s more probable that he would be there, I think, and it’s too big a place for just one to search, don’t you think?”

“You’re right. Just let me text the boys Blaine’s not here”

“You can do that from the cab. Yes, we are going on cab again, don’t look at me like that” Sebastian joked, trying to break a little of Sam’s tension. “Let’s go”

**********

_No sign of him at bus station. We’re coming over to the train station._

Mike read Sam’s message in their whatsapp group without even stopping, for which reason he bumped into a woman that insulted him to no end, though for once he couldn’t care less about it. Only a minute later, another text found its way into his phone, this time from Puck.

_No sign of him either around his home. I’m coming too. Keep the faith._

Mike looked around one time after another, desperately, his heart in his throat. Neither Puck nor Sam and Sebastian had found Blaine in the places they were supposed to look for him. So he had to be there. He had to be there because the alternative was out of question. He wouldn’t accept that Blaine could already be gone, because then both Blaine and Sam would be hopelessly devastated. And if there was something in which Mike believed in, that was love.

Not willing to give up, Mike started walking fast along the platform, conveniently looking at every single person standing there, which were a lot. It was a rush-hour in the station, and dozens of people were sitting on the benches, just standing while waiting for their train or walking just to have something to do. But no sign of Blaine. Mike felt like crying. This could not be happening.

He noticed how people started moving around him and he realized a train was coming, when he hadn’t even covered half of the platform. A train that would undoubtedly take Blaine away forever if he was still on the platform. His heart in his throat, Mike started running like crazy towards the other end, trying not to bump into people, sometimes unsuccessfully. When the train’s doors opened and people started going out and in of the train, it became even more difficult to move forwards, and somehow he became stuck in the crowd trying to get in a wagon. His eyes, though, would continue moving even if he couldn’t and after a couple of seconds that felt like a lifetime, he could see the deep red of a jacket he knew very well two wagons away from him.

“Blaine!” Mike shouted, trying to make his voice heard over the hubbub of the station, but Blaine, standing a good few feet away from him, didn’t turn around. “Blaine!” he tried again, shouting at the top of his lungs, but once again to no avail: Blaine, absorbed by the mass of people, entered the train and, just like that, he was gone.

Mike only took a second to react, and making his way with shoves and insistence, he finally could run away from the people pushing him into the train and once again started running towards the direction he had seen Blaine last. His heart broke into pieces when the acoustic signal of closing doors echoed in the station. He was too late. He had failed them. He was about to fall into his knees and cry when a person came out of a wagon ahead of him just before the doors finally closed. And it was Blaine.

“Blaine!” Mike shouted excitedly, as he ran to him and embraced him with all his might, lifting Blaine from the floor as easily as that with the relief of not having lost him, and talking in a rush. “Don’t ever do this to me again, you bastard!”

Blaine returned the embrace warmly, Mike noticed, but didn’t seem to be as happy to see him as he was.

“What are you doing here, Mike?” Blaine asked, kind of reproachfully.

“What do you think I’m doing here?” Mike asked back, as if it was a stupid question.

“If you want to stop me from leaving...” Blaine began, but Mike didn’t let him finish.

“I don’t” Mike interrupted.

“You don’t?” Blaine asked, confused.

“No. I can totally understand. I just want to stop you from leaving without Sam”

“Mike, with all due respect, this is something between Sam and I”

“I know, but we had to look for you in several places and he couldn’t do it on his own, could he? That’s why it’s me here instead of him while he is turning the bus station upside-down. I will not try to convince you to let him go with you, I’ll leave that to him. I’m only asking you to give him the chance of doing it”

“Look, Mike, I... I was this close to ignoring you, to feign I had not heard you and not look back” Blaine explained, honestly. “But you’ve all been so great to me... that I couldn’t do that. But you’re making this so much difficult for me...”

“Please, he will be here in a second. Even if you don’t change your mind, you can’t leave without seeing him one last time. If you still don’t want him to go with you then fine, but at least tell him to his face and give him the chance to say goodbye. You owe him that much” Mike told him, feeling very bad about trying to make Blaine feel guilty, but he knew it was the only way to convince him.

“I owe him everything” Blaine whispered, ashamed of himself for letting Sam down.

“Then give him a chance, please” Mike pleaded.

“I can’t let him ruin his life for me”

“There’s only one way to destroy him, and that would be to live without you. I don’t think he can, same way as you won’t make it without him. Give both of you a chance to be happy. You deserve it”

Blaine seemed to think about it for a while and finally, slowly, he nodded.

“I’ll wait for him. But only to say goodbye”

“That’s all I’m asking”

**********

_Boys, he’s at the train station with me, at the platform. He’ll wait to talk to you, Sam, but hurry up, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep him here._

“Seb, Mike has him with him” Sam explained while in the taxi on their way to the station, having to make a great effort not to sob in relief. “He’s not gone”

“You see, dude? There’s still a chance” Sebastian reassured him, squeezing his thigh. “I have a feeling everything is going to be alright now”

“I hope you’re right”

**********

_Mike, for God’s sake, don’t let him go. Just tie him up, if you have to. We are already in our way, we’ll be there in two minutes._

“Sam says he’ll be here in like two minutes, he was already on his way” Mike informed Blaine, who just nodded in response.

“Stubborn mule” Blaine muttered under his breath as he sat down in a bench, and Mike couldn’t help but smile at the fondness in Blaine’s voice when talking about Sam, even if it was to insult him.

“Just put yourself in his shoes for a second” Mike asked him all of a sudden. “What would you do if Sam was leaving on his own, God knows where, without anyone to look after him?”

“That’s not the question” Blaine quickly dismissed him.

“Just... just try it for a second” Mike insisted.

“I’d move heaven and earth to go with him” Blaine answered, honestly. “And I understand why he does it, I really do. But now you put yourself in my shoes. How do you think I feel about him leaving all behind for me? His family, his friends, his last year of school? What if everything goes wrong and he regrets it? I would never forgive myself”

“I get it, Blaine. I really do. But he won’t forgive himself either if something happens to you and he’s not at your side to help you”

Both of them remained silent for a while, each lost in his own thoughts, until Mike couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

“I’m going to miss you too, you know?” Mike confessed, kind of embarrassedly.

“So will I, Mike” Blaine answered with a sad smile.

“We’ll meet again someday, won’t we?”

“We’ll surely do” Blaine promised with a confident nod of his head.

Just in that moment, Sam and Sebastian finally arrived, and went directly to the platform where Mike had said they would be. When Sam saw Blaine, there was nothing that could have stopped him from running to him as if the end of the world was near. When he reached him, without giving him more time to react than to stand up, Sam cupped Blaine’s cheeks and didn’t waste a moment in covering his lips with his own in a desperate kiss, that startled Blaine for a second for its neediness but to which he responded almost immediately, desperately needing Sam as much as the other way around.

“I can’t believe you left without me” Sam reproached him when the kiss broke.

“I can’t believe you didn’t listen to me and you still came” Blaine answered.

“You hung up before I could say _I love you too_ , so you gave me no option” Sam joked, and Blaine was about to smile at him when suddenly he remembered why Sam was there and why he couldn’t let him go with him, so he had to stay firm.

“Well, I’ve only waited for you to say goodbye as you deserve, but I haven’t changed my mind”

“How can you be so stubborn? And since when you get to decide what I can do?”

“Since you’re only doing it for me, and I don’t want that”

“It’s not only for you. It’s for us. I thought that’s what you were talking about when you promised me a future together”

“That was before”

“Have you changed that much in a couple of days?”

“No” Blaine admitted. “But circumstances have”

“To hell with circumstances! I only care about you!”

“I’m sorry, but... it can’t be”

“I’m not letting you go” Sam empathically affirmed and firmly grabbed Blaine’s arm to stop him from moving, until he felt Blaine hiss and his muscles tense at his grip and he immediately let go, worried he had only made things worse. “I’m sorry”

“Don’t... don’t do that” Blaine softly replied, and Sam could see it was not an order as much as a plead, and that broke his heart.

“I won’t, I’m sorry” Sam apologized again.

“Goodbye, Sam” Blaine insisted and tried to walk past Sam, who didn’t try to stop him with force this time but with words.

“Blaine, I love you! Does that mean nothing to you?” Sam yelled at his retreating back, and Blaine closed his eyes for a second at the pain he was experiencing, but he resolutely turned around once more and pronounced the most difficult words he had ever pronounced.

“Please, Sam! I don’t want you to come with me, can’t you see it? I don’t need you, I want to do this on my own. What do I have to say for you to understand?”

“Liar” Sam told him, with no hesitation in his voice, as he started slowly approaching Blaine once again.

“I don’t love you anymore” Blaine insisted with less resolution.

“Liar” Sam repeated, and the confidence Blaine felt in Sam’s voice that he knew Blaine did in fact need him and love him so much, was all Blaine needed to finally break down, and he burst out crying, silently, finally letting Sam embrace him strongly and offer all the support and love he had been rejecting until then.

“I have to do this with you” Sam whispered in his ear while fondling Blaine’s hair at the back of his neck, in a gesture so comforting and familiar that Blaine knew in that instant he had been defeated in his fight.

“This isn’t fair for you” Blaine whispered back, his voice shaking with love and regret for not being stronger.

“Neither it is for you, yet you don’t have any other option, do you? Well, I don’t have it either. From the moment I fell in love with you, there was no other option for me than to go wherever you go. Besides, Sebastian is already buying my ticket, you don’t want my money to go to waste, do you?” Sam joked at the end, trying to win a chuckle from Blaine, which he did.

“I can’t believe I’m being so selfish as to take you away from your home”

“Taking me? I think I’m walking on my own two feet”

“You know what I mean, you dork” Blaine said another giggle.

“I know. So... may I go with you?” Sam mockingly pleaded.

“How do you know you’re not going to regret it?” Blaine asked, totally serious.

“I absolutely promise” Sam answered, all jokes aside. “I’ll never regret being there for you”

“Then let’s go” Blaine finally conceded, his heart breaking at his weakness.

“Let’s go” Sam responded with an impossible wide smile on his face.

Blaine smiled tenderly back at Sam and embraced him with all his might, Sam immediately responding to it by putting his own arms around his boyfriend. Sam was surprised he didn’t feel the slightest fear or hesitation in his heart at the prospect of leaving everything behind and having to make their own way. Only love, and hope, and expectation. And happiness. He almost couldn’t wait to take the next train and be gone for good, with only Blaine by his side, and put a big distance between them and the hell in which Blaine had been forced to live for the past months.

When they broke the embrace, silently encouraging each other with their eyes for the big step they were going to take, they turned to Mike and Sebastian and hugged them in turns, making sure to show them with their embrace how grateful they were of their help and how much they were going to miss them.

“Bye, guys” Blaine told them in a shaky voice, feeling very fortunate of having had them so close, even if it had been for so little time. “Thanks for everything. We will never be able to thank you enough”

“Just to know you’re going to be together is enough for us” Mike answered, almost as moved as Blaine.

“Seb, I know I don’t have the right to ask you anything else, but...” Sam started, but Sebastian imagined where he was going with it and didn’t let him finish.

“I’ll explain everything to your parents, don’t worry”

“But...” Sam tried again, but once again Sebastian interrupted him.

“But without giving too much detail, of course”

“Will you let me speak?” Sam teasingly protested, and then he handed him his mobile phone. “Here. You do whatever you want with my phone”

“I’ll keep it. Just to make sure I can give it back someday” Sebastian answered, pointedly, and Sam nodded.

“Tell Puck goodbye for us” Sam asked them.

“No!” Puck yelled, as he ran towards them at top speed. “Tell me yourself, you insensitive bastards!” he said as he jumped over them and engulfed them both in a bear hug. “Take care of yourselves, boys”

“We will” Sam promised, putting one arm around Blaine and the other one around Puck, and squeezing firmly, until both Sebastian and Mike joined the group hug and the five of them stood like that, silent, unmoving, for a whole minute at least, until they heard the next train making their way towards their platform and they separated, all of them suspiciously sniffing.

Without any more words, as they weren’t necessary, Sam offered his hand to Blaine and he picked it up strongly, confidently, as if he wasn’t willing to let go of it ever again. They both picked up their bags with their free hands and looked at their friends for the last time. And then they turned around and got themselves into the train, not moving from the window until the train was well gone and they had already lost sight of the three boys at the platform.

When Blaine finally turned to him, Sam could see a tear had made its way down Blaine’s cheek. It was not a sad tear, though; just a tear that talked about the mix of emotions Blaine was experiencing right at that moment. Happiness, fear, excitement, regret. Love. Sam brought his thumb to Blaine’s cheek and gently caught the tear with it, removing it from his skin and replacing it with a gentle kiss. Blaine just smiled, more genuinely this time. They had done it. Their future started now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So even if it might look like it, this is not the end by any means... Still some chapters left!


	22. Chapter 22

“Ok, now it comes the funniest part for me” Sebastian told his two friends while they were making their way back home from the station.

“What do you mean?” Mike asked.

“Well, someone has to tell Sam’s parents, right? Might as well be me, as I already promised Sam I would”

“Man, they’re going to be happy” Puck sarcastically added.

“I know” Sebastian nodded in agreement.

“You want us to go with you?” Mike offered.

“You don’t mind? I’m not looking forward to break the big news to them on my own”

“Of course we don’t. The three of us will do it”

“So am I included on that offer?” Puck groaned, but both Sebastian and Mike knew he was only joking.

“Of course you are”

“Okay, I just wanted to make sure...”

**********

“Come, love” Sam suggested lovingly, picking up Blaine’s hand to pull him from the train’s door. “Let’s take a seat”

Blaine let himself be guided to an empty seat, where Sam let him pass first so he could sit next to the window, as he liked. For a second, he marveled at how well Sam knew him considering how little time they had known each other, only a few months. But then, he would never stop marveling at everything Sam did, as he was the most perfect person he had ever known. Nobody would have followed him like he had done. No one would want to be with him knowing what a complicated person he was or the situation he was living in. Yet he did, one time after the other. And yet Blaine was taking him away from his perfect home to an uncertain future, and it was not fair.

“Are you okay?” Sam’s sweet voice took Blaine out of his reverie.

“Yeah, I just feel... I don’t even know how I feel” Blaine answered with a smile, making Sam chuckle fondly.

“Expectant? Free? A little scared maybe?” Sam offered, and Blaine cupped one of his cheeks and soundly kissed the other.

“How do you always know everything?” Blaine asked with so much adoration on his voice that Sam’s heart felt like melting.

“Not everything. Just whatever is going through that stubborn little head of yours”

“That’s a lot, then” Blaine joked with a chuckle just before hooking his arm around Sam’s and resting his head on the blond’s shoulder, just to feel physically connected to him.

“I know. Just as I know that you’re not still feeling comfortable about the idea of me going with you”

“I’m sorry. You know it’s not because I don’t want to be with you, right?”

“Of course I know, you silly” Sam chuckled fondly, covering Blaine’s hand with his own to prove his words. “I get it. If anything, I’m flattered you worry that much about me that you’d prefer to go on your own just to keep me safe. But I worry about you too, so...” Sam didn’t need to end up his sentence for Blaine to know there was no way Sam would renounce to go with him.

“What I’m the most sorry about is your parents” Blaine lamented. “They were so great to me, and how do I thank them? Taking their son away from them. They will be so angry and disappointed...”

“For the last time, you didn’t take me away, I came on my own accord, okay?” Sam said firmly as he grabbed Blaine’s chin to make him lift his head and look at him. “And they know me, so they’ll know it was entirely my decision. If anything, they’ll be angry at me”

“Okay, that makes me feel so much better” Blaine sarcastically replied, and Sam chuckled, disentangling himself from Blaine’s grip so he could put his arm around the curly-haired boy’s shoulders to bring him closer again.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like we’ve killed someone or something like that. I mean, we can go back the minute you turn eighteen if we want, we’re not fugitives. Well, not exactly. What I mean is they’ll forgive me eventually. That’s what parents are for, right?”

“It surely is” Blaine replied in a whisper, his gaze getting lost in the infinite through the window as his thoughts went to his own father.

“I’m sorry, sweetie” Sam apologized, placing a tender kiss on Blaine’s temple to show his regret at his unfortunate words. “You know I have the biggest mouth”

“Don’t be, you’re right: that’s how parents should be. And believe me when I tell you I’m so glad you have those wonderful parents”

“We both have them now. I know they’ll treat you as one of their own when they get the chance. From now on you can be sure you have a family”

Blaine smiled at Sam gratefully and rested his head against Sam’s, not being able to believe his luck of having met someone like him in that difficult time of his life. Yes, he regretted having brought him along on this adventure. But at the same time, he couldn’t wait for them to make it on their own for the first time. Because he had no doubt that what they had was going to last forever.

**********

“Hello, dears” Mary greeted the three boys with a warm smile as she opened the door for them. “How are you?”

“Em... we are fine, thanks” Sebastian answered on behalf of them all.

“Sam is not home at the moment. I don’t really know where he is, but I’ll tell him you stopped by when he gets home. He will be glad, he could use the company right now” she sadly explained.

“We know where he is” Mike said, hesitantly.

“Oh, you do?” she seemed kind of confused, or maybe she could sense something was not right. “So where is he?”

“This is not going to be easy. Could we maybe sit down for a minute?” Sebastian asked politely, and Mary, her heart on her throat at Sebastian’s cryptic words, moved to the side to give the boys access to the house.

**********

“If you feel like sleeping, just do it” Blaine told his boyfriend with a fond grin after Sam was startled awake after his head rolled backwards for like the tenth time.

“I’m not sleeping” Sam mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Of course not, you’re just resting your eyes” Blaine sarcastically replied.

“You know me so well” Sam answered, not really aware of Blaine’s sarcasm due to his need for slumber.

“Yeah, I do. That’s why I know you always feel sleepy with the rattling of a train, you told me that yourself once”

“Did I? Gosh, you surely listen when I talk”

“Of course I do!” Blaine laughed. “So please, stop fighting it and just sleep for a while”

“I don’t want to leave you alone” Sam protested, though it was obvious he was losing the battle.

“Don’t be silly, I’ll be perfectly fine. I might even read for a while. Just rest your head on my shoulder and get some shut-eye”

“Okay” Sam obliged, resting his head on Blaine’s shoulder as he had given him permission for and making himself comfortable, his eyes already closed. “But wake me up if you need me”

“I will” Blaine promised.

“I love you” Sam mumbled, already more asleep than awake, so he could not see how much his words warmed Blaine’s heart and how big a smile it brought to his face.

“I love you too” he whispered, placing a kiss on Sam’s forehead as he made himself comfortable too. He was not in the mood for reading, or listening to music, but he didn’t need anything. Just the weight of Sam’s head on his shoulder was enough to keep him warm and contented throughout their journey.

**********

“So he just packed his things and left?” Sam father couldn’t believe his ears at what these boys were saying.

“Yeah” Sebastian answered, patiently. After all, he knew it was going to be quite a shock for them. “He didn’t have the time to leave a note or say goodbye because we had to stop Blaine before we lost him forever. But he asked me to explain everything to you and to tell you he’ll get in contact with you as soon as it’s safe”

“I can’t believe he would do that” Dwight said, shaking his head.

“He’s in love with Blaine” Mary answered, knowing that explained everything.

“Yes, indeed he is, but please, don’t blame Blaine” Sebastian begged. “He didn’t want him to go with him”

“In fact, he tried to convince him a million times to stay” Puck added.

“I know, dear. We’re not angry at Blaine” Mary explained with a resigned sigh. “Sam is my son and I know him well, I know how loyal and stubborn he can be. And I know Blaine is a great boy, if only because of how much Sam loves him. I just wish we could have found a better solution”

“They’ll come back eventually. When Blaine comes off age, at Summer, they’ll be back” Mike tried to comfort them.

“Boys, do you know where they went?” Dwight asked.

“No, we don’t” Sebastian only half-lied.

“Sebastian, if you know where they are you have to tell us” Dwight insisted.

“I swear I don’t. They didn’t take a long distance train to a big city so they couldn’t be easily spotted. They are taking little routes through smaller villages so they cannot track them”

“But where did they go first?”

“I can’t tell you that”

“Sebastian, we need to find them” Dwight insisted with a severe expression. “They are too young to do that on their own, we need to convince to come back”

“I can’t” Sebastian was really sorry about not helping them, seeing how worried they seemed, but his loyalty lied with his friends.

“You’re not helping them like this” Dwight warned the younger man.

“Maybe. But I made it hard enough for them at the beginning and if there’s a possibility now to compensate my mistakes, I have to take it. I can’t betray them”

“It’s okay, Dwight” Mary intervened. “It’s not Sebastian’s fault. And it wouldn’t do any good all the same, they could have left the train in another station, to be safe in case Sebastian told us”

“I know you’re right” Dwight sighed, bringing his hands to his face in a worried gesture.

“Is there any way we can reach them?” Mary asked.

“No, I’m sorry but Sam gave me his phone and I know Blaine left his behind too. We’ll have to wait for them to get in contact with us” Sebastian explained.

“Let’s hope they are alright” Mary whispered, and the others could only nod.

**********

Sam and Blaine changed trains a couple of times and spent the night travelling, snuggled together on their seats, trying to get some sleep without much success –at least, in Blaine’s case–, their grip on each other’s hand never loosening one bit.

In the morning, though, they decided to jump off the train, stretch their legs for a while and have a hearty breakfast, as they hadn’t had anything to eat since the day before. So when the next station came, on a beautiful and cosy, snow-covered little town, they came off the train and the station and walked until they found a nice cafe where they picked up a table next to the window to leave all their stuff and sit down to eat.

“I need to go to the bathroom” Sam announced, already standing up again.

“What do you want me to order for you?” Blaine asked him, looking at the menu.

“You pick and I’m sure it will be perfect. You always seem to get it right when it comes to me” Sam joked, bending forward just enough to kiss the top of Blaine’s head, eliciting a smile from the latter, and then he was gone.

Blaine checked the menu for a few seconds and then stood up to go the bar and make his command. While he waited for the waiter to appear, his gaze fell on a poster hanging from a board behind the bar asking for waiters to work on the cafe. Could they just...? They hadn’t really talked about what they wanted to do or where they wanted to go, but maybe making a start in that nice town would not be a bad idea. In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“Hello” Blaine politely greeted the man coming out of what he supposed to be the kitchen, who didn’t look very friendly when he lifted his gaze to look at Blaine.

“May I help you?” he asked, politely but with something in his voice that made it hard to trust him.

“I saw that advertise on the board about you looking for staff. I don’t have a CV with me right now, but I could bring it...”

“Don’t bother” the man interrupted, taking his gaze off Blaine to continue with his job.

“But it says you’re looking for waiters” Blaine insisted, kind of confused.

“Yes, but I don’t think you’re what I’m looking for, so if you’ll excuse me...” the man tried to dismiss him, but Blaine was more stubborn than that.

“May I know why?” Blaine asked, a little annoyed, as Sam came back from the bathroom and started making his way to his boyfriend, completely oblivious to what was happening.

“Okay, do you want to know why? How about you take a look at yourself?” the bartender replied, completely unkind.

“What does that mean?” Blaine asked, confused, and Sam realized something was going on, even if he didn’t know what, and he rushed to his boyfriend to stand by his side.

“You’ve got your face covered in bruises, you’re obviously travelling judging by your suitcases yet you’re looking for a job on your way... Are you running away from something?”

“It’s not what it seems, I just... had an accident” Blaine tried to explain without giving away any information.

“Yeah, an accident. As if I couldn’t see the marks of punches in your face. It’s obvious you can’t be trusted, I would never hire someone from that ilk”

“Excuse me, mister” Sam couldn’t stay quiet any longer as his boyfriend was being verbally abused like that. “You don’t have the faintest idea of what’s behind those bruises, you have no right to judge him like you just did”

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I don’t have to give you any explanations. This is my business, and I can hire whom I consider the right man for the job”

“And he isn’t just because you say so, you damned bastard?” Sam asked, so angry he felt he could hit that man, while Blaine grabbed his arm in an attempt to calm him down.

“And you insulting me is going to make me trust him?” the man rebuked. “Who the hell do you think you are, you little fuck? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was you giving him those bruises...”

Sam’s blood boiled at the idea of him being the one hurting Blaine, so he made a grab across the bar to reach the man’s collar, but Blaine had already seen it coming and held Sam’s arms from behind to stop him.

“Stop it right now, Sam” Blaine ordered him, only whispering, but firmly, to which Sam immediately obeyed and stopped his movements. Blaine let go of him and turned wordlessly to the table to pick up their things and then to the door, Sam following him immediately, never stopping until they were outside.

“Can you believe what this son of a bitch said?” Sam asked, but was not expecting Blaine to be angry at him instead of the bartender, so it was with quite a surprise when Sam received Blaine’s accusations.

“What the hell was that?” Blaine asked, angrier that Sam had ever seen him –at least towards him.

“What?” Sam asked in total confusion.

“How could you do that? You would have hit that man if I hadn’t stopped you!”

“Yes, because he said...”

“I know what he said, but that gives you no right to do something like that! I can’t believe you were going to throw a punch! Can’t you see this kind of behavior is what brought us here in the first place?”

Sam suddenly understood everything and he was so ashamed of himself he felt like crying: Blaine couldn’t stand violence, of any kind, which was nothing surprising considering what he had had to suffer on his own skin. As he had said, that was what had brought them there: running away from another violent person. Sam tried to pick up Blaine’s hands to apologize, but Blaine refused the contact.

“I want to make this clear” Blaine continued, not having said the end of it yet. “I’m never going to demand anything from you except one thing: if you want us to be together then you won’t ever try to get your own way with violence. Ever. Do you understand?”

“I know I shouldn’t have done it, but that man...” Sam tried to excuse himself, but Blaine was having none of it.

“No. I won’t have any excuses. You can get in all the battles you want and you will always have a reason to blame the other part. But that’s not how it works. Violence doesn’t solve anything”

“You already told me that once” Sam whispered in shame.

“Well, I didn’t make much of an impression then, did I?”

“I’m sorry, Blaine” Sam honestly apologized.

“I don’t want you to apologize” Blaine answered, not feeling so enraged and distant this time. “I just want you to be sure you can do it before we make this, because I’m sure it’s going to get worse before it gets better, and there will be plenty of other occasions to get angry. You don’t have to agree with me on that. But I can’t share my life with you if you don’t. I’m sorry, I really am, but I’ve already lived with it for too long” Blaine explained, and Sam could see how much it pained him having to demand something from him.

“No, Blaine, of course I agree with you, just...”

“Don’t say anything, please. Just... think about it, okay?” Blaine asked him, apparently calmer now, as he started walking without waiting for Sam, so the latter could only follow. “Maybe we should go anywhere and have lunch and then go back to the station and jump on another train. I don’t feel like staying in this town anymore”

Sam didn’t have the heart co contradict him after what had happened, so he remained quiet and followed his boyfriend in silence.

**********

As they waited for another train that afternoon in an open station, with the sun almost already gone and the darkness falling around them, Blaine sat on the edge of a bench, shivering from the cold as he tried to warm his hands with his own breath. When Sam came back from picking up their tickets, and saw the state Blaine was in, freezing and lost in his worries, he momentarily felt that familiar sharp hate in his heart towards the man who had been the cause of so much suffering, and a lot of shame for reminding Blaine of him with his actions a while ago. But he didn’t let himself get lost in that hate: his heart felt so much better when filled with love for this wonderful creature, he thought as he reached his backpack to get something out of it.

“Here you are” Sam said at the same time as he put a woollen hat on Blaine’s head and sat behind him on the backless bench , one leg at each side of Blaine, immediately surrounding his waist with his arms. “You’ll feel better with it”

“You always have the solution for everything” Blaine chuckled, resting his hands over Sam’s in appreciation, but Sam picked them up between his own instead and started rubbing them so as to take some of the coldness from them.

“We need to get you some gloves” Sam whispered to him, resting his chin on Blaine’s shoulder and lightly rocking them together.

“God, I hate the cold” Blaine lamented, leaning the side of his face against Sam’s, closing his eyes in bliss at the contact with that wonderful person.

“Here, put my gloves on for a while, we can share them” Sam offered, already taking them off.

“No way, you need them” Blaine protested as he tried to stop Sam from doing it, but Sam was even more obstinate than him and before he knew it, his hands were inside the gloves, immediately warming. “You stubborn mule”

“Oh, you want to talk” Sam joked, and once again embraced Blaine’s waist, squeezing him strongly to him.

“At least let me cover your hands with mine” Blaine insisted, and once again rested his hands over Sam’s, so none of them would be too exposed to the cold.

“I’m sorry, Blaine” Sam apologized out of nowhere, but Blaine immediately guessed he was referring to the events of the morning. “I really am. I saw that man talking to you like that and I completely lost it. I should have thought how that would make you feel”

“I told you I don’t want you to apologize” Blaine kindly answered.

“But I need to do it. You were right: you have to leave your home because of a violent person, and then you happen to go away with another one”

“You’re not a violent person by any means, I know you” Blaine was quick to deny it, not even wanting to think of including Sam, with his tenderness and his huge heart, in the same kind of people his father was. “But I didn’t like that, and I just wanted to make sure you agree with me in that”

“Of course I do, babe. I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I never thought you would” Blaine answered, all honesty, and Sam kissed him behind his ear in gratitude for his confidence in him.

“Then... do you forgive me?” Sam teasingly implored.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Sam” Blaine answered.

“I said: do you forgive me?” Sam insisted in a joking tone.

“Okay, I forgive you” Blaine chuckled. “But only if you forgive me for being so hard on you about it. I didn’t have the right to lecture you like that but... It’s just... it’s bigger than me, I can’t stand it”

“I know” Sam rushed to agree, wanting for Blaine to know how much he could understand it “You did well to tell me”

“I said: do you forgive me?” Blaine mockingly repeated Sam’s words, and the latter wholeheartedly laughed.

“I forgive you” Sam conceded, squeezing Blaine to his chest more strongly.

“Everything’s alright then?” Blaine asked, already knowing the answer.

“It sure is” Sam answered with a contented sigh.

“Good”

“If it weren’t for the cold, I’d almost wish the train would never come” Sam said, all of a sudden, after a couple of minutes in silence. “Being here with you, in this embrace, with such a beautiful landscape... It’s just too perfect”

Blaine smiled in appreciation, but Sam’s words only made him sadden. He knew he was being honest, but he also knew that Sam was not seeing ahead of the present moment. It was not going to be easy, and it was certainly not going to be that perfect.

“You know... you know you still have the chance to back out, don’t you?” Blaine said, looking ahead so as not to have to look at Sam’s face.

“Back out?”

“Yes, just... jump on the first train that goes back home and that’s it. I’m not going to blame you or think less of you or love you less because of it. In fact, I would feel so relieved...”

“Wow, that must be a record” Sam answered teasingly.

“What do you mean?”

“It must have been the longest time you haven’t insisted for me to go back since we left. What, like three hours? It surely is a record”

“You’re an idiot” Blaine chuckled, teasingly slapping Sam’s arms around him.

“Sweetheart, you have to stop that like... right now, okay?” Sam said more seriously even if he still had a wide smile on his face. “I’m leaving with you because I want to, not because I feel obligated or because I believe I have to do it. I simply want to be where you are, and I don’t care if it’s here, back at home or at the end of the world”

“But I have the feeling you don’t realize what this really means. We practically don’t have anything, and we are going to have to struggle a lot. What happened today... is going to happen other times”

“Don’t you think I know that? I’m not an idiot, I know it’s not going to be easy. But I don’t care, I’m not worried about it. As long as we are together, we’ll both have something to fight for”

“You know what? I hadn’t looked at it that way”

“You make it sound like as if by staying home I would be completely happy, and it’s not like that. If I let you go I’ll never forgive myself and I’ll regret it every day of my life, I know it”

“Let’s just hope you don’t ever have to regret this” Blaine whispered, but still Sam heard it.

“I’m sure I won’t” Sam promised confidently, just as the train arrived and they both stood up, hand in hand, to jump on it.

_**********_

Sam and Blaine were about to enter a boarding house that had been recommended to them by a nice old man on the station they had finally arrived after another hour travelling. They had decided they couldn’t keep running away eternally, and that town seemed as good as any to try. Maybe in a nearby future they would be able to rent a little flat or something, but they had to get a job first, so a boarding house would have to do for now.

The middle-aged woman in charge of the house had been nothing but great to them. It seemed like she had read in their eyes the love between them and the heavy burden they were carrying on their shoulders, so her maternal instincts had immediately kicked in and she had admitted them with a smile, offering them a simple but comfortable room –for a price they suspected was inferior as to what it should be– with only a good double bed, a wardrobe and a table with two chairs, but that looked like a palace to them, after all they had been through.

“Thank you so much, ma’am” Blaine thanked him from the bottom of his heart as he showed them the room.

“You’re welcome, my boy” Mrs. Beiste answered, all kindness, as there was a vulnerability in that boy that made her want to help them in any possible way. They looked so young... “The bathroom is at the end of the corridor and you have blankets on the wardrobe. If there’s anything you need, you just let me know”

“Thank you, really” Blaine insisted, and the woman just smiled again before closing the door behind her and leaving the two lovebirds alone.

“So” Sam came to put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders as they both observed their bedroom. “This is our first home, isn’t it?”

“I guess” Blaine shrugged his shoulders, but the smile that broke on his lips told a completely different story.

“We’re such grown-ups” Sam joked, and Blaine laughed wholeheartedly at his boyfriend’s silliness.

While Blaine went to the bathroom, Sam decided unpacking could wait until tomorrow and he lay down on the bed, facing the ceiling, his hands behind his head. As much as he tried feeling some kind of regret or fear of the unknown, he couldn’t find anything in his heart that was not positive. Love, excitement, freedom. He surely was going to miss his parents and siblings, and the boys too, but he didn’t regret it: Blaine was his life now and his place was wherever Blaine was.

Blaine came back from the bathroom and he wordlessly lay down on the bed and curled on Sam’s side immediately, resting his head on Sam’s shoulder. Sam could tell Blaine was in need of a bit of comfort in the shape of physical contact, and he was not one to deny him anything, so he surrounded Blaine with his arm and kissed his forehead, eliciting a shy smile from Blaine just before he closed his eyes. To Sam, those gestures said more than words would have done. They said _thank you for coming, but I wish you hadn’t._ They said _It was a hard day but I’m glad you’re here._ Blaine’s mix of joy and sadness about Sam being there broke the blond’s heart one time after the other, so his hand unconsciously moved to caress the top of Blaine’s head in a comforting gesture, his silky curls sliding between Sam’s fingers in an intimate way.

“Still not regretting it?” Blaine mumbled, his voice slurred by sleep under Sam’s ministrations.

“Nope” Sam answered immediately with a chuckle before he started softly humming the song they had been writing together before all hell broke loose until Blaine’s little smile widened impossibly and he nestled more closely to Sam’s heart. No, he was not going to regret it. Never.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter! Busy week and some health problems (nothing too serious) kept me away, but I'm here now. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> CHAPTER 23

Sam sighed loudly, stretching himself, when he awoke the next morning. Still half asleep, he knew there was something different that morning, though he didn’t know what exactly. First of all, the mattress under his body didn’t feel as always. And wasn’t the light from the window coming from a different direction? What was that warmth on his side? And that tickling sensation on his neck? Why did everything feel so strange and so good at the same time?

When he finally opened his eyes, it all came back in a rush. Of course he was not at home, that’s why the mattress was different and the window was not in the usual place. The tickling sensation on his neck was the air coming in and out of a mouth very near his ear. And the wonderful warmth on his side was Blaine’s body, glued to him exactly as he had been when they had fallen asleep the night before.

Sam yawned and then stretched his neck to look down at Blaine’s head, peacefully resting on his own shoulder. By the smile Blaine gave him, Sam could see Blaine was awake, and he had probably been for some time, just watching him sleep, so Sam kissed his forehead in a loving gesture that deeply moved Blaine.

“Morning” Sam mumbled, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

“Morning, love” Blaine answered, lifting his head from Sam’s shoulder to join their lips in a slow kiss.

“What a good way to start a day” Sam joked once the kiss broke and Blaine rested his chin on Sam’s chest, looking at him, their faces almost touching.

“Totally agree” he answered with a smile so full of love that Sam almost couldn’t believe his luck he was loved so deeply.

“You’ve been awake for long?” Sam asked, trying not to seem too much of a worrier, while he tucked a rebel curl behind Blaine’s ear in a caring gesture –and didn’t Blaine’s sleep-ruffled curls looked incredibly adorable in the morning?

“A little while, but I didn’t feel like moving” Blaine confessed, a little embarrassed at the exuberance of his emotions, as he placed a tiny kiss to Sam’s chin.

“Never feel the need to move away from me, sweetie” Sam only half-joked, eliciting a small chuckle out of Blaine. “So what should we be doing today?” Sam asked, and he couldn’t help but notice a shadow of uneasiness crossing Blaine’s face for a moment, that he was quick to hide under yet another smile.

“I guess a little job-searching would be in order, wouldn’t it?” Blaine asked a little too enthusiastically, but Sam was not about to be fooled.

“Why do you worry? We are young, and handsome, and clever, they’ll quarrel over us to work for them!” Sam joked, trying to ease Blaine’s mind from all the distress, and he was able at least to make him laugh, just before he kissed Sam’s chin again and sat up to start the day.

“Yeah, I’m sure they will” Blaine sarcastically answered, and both of them got up to start dressing in silence. Even if Sam didn’t want to admit it out loud, they needed a job, and they needed it soon. And he wasn’t sure it was going to be that easy.

Sam had already finished dressing in his warmest clothes when he noticed Blaine was standing in front of the mirror, still shirtless, with no expression on his face, and had been for some time. Sam knew Blaine was not vain, so just checking his image was not what was keeping him there.

“Is everything alright, babe?” Sam asked, while he folded up his pajama.

“When will those damned bruises fade away?” Blaine asked suddenly, his voice a mixture of sadness and resignation Sam didn’t like one bit, so he went to him and embraced him from behind, looking at their reflection too and placing a kiss on Blaine’s bare shoulder, sighing sympathetically.

“They’ll be gone soon” Sam promised, gently brushing his fingers over the remains of the bruises on Blaine’s middle that never failed to make his blood boil in anger. “But you look as beautiful as ever anyway” he teased, trying to elicit a smile from his boyfriend, which he did.

“Only to you, but that’s all I need” Blaine answered with a smile, leaning his head over backwards to kiss Sam’s cheek. “It’s not my looks I’m worried about, though”

“What are you worried about then?”

“I worry that I’ll never find a job looking like that. They’ll think the same that horrible man at the cafe did”

“You may be right, but the bruises will be gone soon. And I can try to find a job in the meantime. Don’t worry, please” Sam pleaded, squeezing Blaine’s waist with his arms, but he could tell there was something else troubling Blaine that he was not saying. “Is there anything else in your mind, love?”

“These bruises... it’s like they are a constant reminder” Blaine confessed in a whisper, breaking Sam’s heart for the thousandth time.

Sam had been feeling so excited and happy about the two of them being together on their own that he sometimes forgot what had brought them there. But Blaine, of course, hadn’t forgotten. Couldn’t forget. And Sam felt guilty about not realizing that sooner.

“He has the ability of keeping screwing my life without even being near anymore” Blaine went on, not finding the need to clarify who ‘he’ was.

Sam sighed loudly and gently turned Blaine around to cup his cheeks.

“That’s over, okay? Everything that happened before we took that train does not exist anymore. There’s only you and I in this, okay? And you’ll be alright here because I love you with all my heart and I’ll never let anything happen to you again”

Blaine nodded, too moved to say anything, feeling secure in the knowledge that Sam loved him and would never hurt him, and that now they only depended on themselves. Sam could feel his emotion and closed the gap between their mouths to gently kiss his lips for a moment.

“Come. I know something that will cheer you up” Sam suggested mysteriously, grabbing Blaine’s hand to make sure he would follow. “But put on your sweater first. I don’t want all the guests of this house drooling all over you”

Blaine laughed wholeheartedly at his boyfriend’s silliness but obliged with everything he had said. He put on his sweater and then he let himself be pulled out of the room and to the entrance of the boarding house, where there was a public phone in which Sam immediately introduced some coins.

“Who are you calling?” Blaine asked, intrigued, but Sam had already dialed and hushed him, waiting for the receiver of the call to pick up his phone.

“Hi, Seb” Sam said happily to the phone, and he grinned to reciprocate the smile that had immediately broken in Blaine’s face.

“Sam, mate! So good to hear you! How are you two?” Sebastian asked, just as happily. “Will you let me speak, please?” Sebastian said off-the-phone, and Sam laughed as he imagined Puck and Mike trying to take the phone off him.

“Hi, boys!” he heard Mike shout.

“Hope you’re not being too good!” that was Puck.

“Seb, why don’t you put us on speaker?” Sam suggested, and he motioned for Blaine to approach his ear to the phone so they both could listen and talk.

“Okay, we are on speaker. Tell us, how are you?” Sebastian asked.

“We are fine, boys, thanks” Sam answered. “Everything’s alright here”

“Do you have where to stay yet? Or a job?” Sebastian couldn’t help but to worry about them.

“Not yet, but we are working on it” Sam answered, winking at Blaine as if to tell him not to worry about it.

“Is Blaine there? Or has he already found someone more handsome than you?” Puck joked, and both Blaine and Sam chuckled.

“I’m here, you idiot, and I’d never find anyone more handsome than Sam” Blaine was quick to protest, and Sam smiled in appreciation.

“You’re just love-blinded, I tell you” Puck joked. “Ouch, Mike!”

“You deserved it” Mike answered, and Blaine and Sam looked at each other, amused, as they knew Mike had clobbered Puck on the head, as he usually did when Puck was being inappropriate –quite often, it seemed.

“So boys, are you really alright?” Sebastian asked, more serious this time.

“We are alright” Blaine answered, nodding at Sam to let him know he really meant it. “Really”

“I’m glad” Sebastian answered with a sigh, and both of them could tell he was really missing them.

“We miss you, guys” Blaine said, wanting to make sure they knew he had not forgotten everything they had done for them.

“We miss you too” Mike answered. “I wish you were here. This is not the same without you two”

“Yes, there’s no one here kissing on every corner, we kinda miss it” Puck joked, and then they heard the unmistakable sound of another blow. “Really, again, Mike?”

“And as many times as you need” Mike answered.

“Listen, boys” Sam intervened. “We have to go now, we don’t have more coins. Could you please tell my parents not to worry, that we are okay?” Sam asked, and Blaine looked at him in confusion. He had more coins, and he was sure Sam had too. Why didn’t he want to talk to them?

“Of course, we’ll call them right away” Sebastian promised. “You take care, you hear me?”

“We will, Mom” Sam joked.

“And call again soon!” Mike pleaded.

“We will” Blaine promised.

“Bye!” the three boys shouted at unison, and Blaine and Sam laughed with them before hanging up the phone.

“So? Did it make you feel better?” Sam asked, brushing his knuckles over Blaine’s cheek, once the handset of the phone was back at his place.

“Yes, it did” Blaine answered with a wide smile. “Thank you”

“Well, I really did it for me, you know? Because your smile brightens my day, and you don’t look so pretty when you are sad” Sam joked, and Blaine chuckled.

“You idiot” Blaine mockingly reprimanded him.

“Shall we get going?” Sam offered his hand for Blaine to take it, but Blaine stopped him.

“Wait a minute. You don’t want to call your parents?”

“I didn’t fool you, right?” Sam joked with a knowing smile.

“Never” Blaine joked back, but they both knew it was the truth: Blaine would always be able to see through Sam’s excuses, just as the other way around.

“It’s just... I don’t know how they took the news of my leaving and... I’m not ready to talk to them yet” he answered sadly, and Blaine sweetly caressed the hair on the back of his neck.

“I understand, love”

“Aren’t you going to try and convince me to call them?” Sam asked in surprise.

“No” Blaine simply answered.

“But you think I should call them”

“Maybe, I don’t know”

“Then why...” Sam started, but Blaine didn’t let him finish, bringing a finger to Sam’s lips.

“Because I respect your decision. I understand why you don’t want to talk to them yet and I won’t insist for you to do something you don’t want to. You have respected and supported all my decisions, without even questioning if they were the right ones. It would be a very poor way of repaying you not doing the same”

“Thank you” Sam said honestly.

“No, thank you for being the way you are” Blaine answered emotionally.

“Okay, should we get going before we start crying like fools in front of everyone?” Sam suggested, trying to make light of the situation.

“Yeah, we probably should” Blaine chuckled, and this time he took the hand Sam was offering.

**********

They spent the day entering in any shop, restaurant or general place they could find to offer themselves for any available job, though to no avail. As Blaine had suspected, the marks of violence on his face kept anyone from trusting him and, even if they were not as unkind and unpleasant as the man from the day before, they kept rejecting him without even giving him the chance to make an argument. And, by extension, they rejected Sam as well.

Sam could see Blaine was getting quieter and more frustrated after every failed try, feeling guilty about their lack of success finding a job, so he put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders as they walked to pull him closer to him and squeeze him lovingly.

“Why don’t we call it a day?” he suggested. “I’m exhausted and starved. Should we look for a cheap place to have dinner?”

“I don’t really feel like having dinner anywhere, I just want to go back to our room” Blaine answered, almost pouting, and Sam smiled fondly at him.

“Well, we still have to eat something, don’t we? We don’t want you to starve to death, do we?” Sam joked.

“Me? I think it’s your own stomach you’re thinking about” Blaine joked back, trying to keep with the light atmosphere. He knew he was being too negative, and Sam didn’t deserve it.

“Why don’t we pick something and take it to our room? That way we can immediately go back and hide away for the rest of the day and we still get to eat something”

“Sound like a great idea, love” Blaine answered with a smile, stopping his walking just for a second so as to properly kiss his boyfriend as he deserved.

**********

“Hey, stick to your plate, please!” Blaine joked, teasingly slapping Sam’s hand away from his plate after the third time he stole a chip. They were eating what they had bought in a burger place at the table of their room while listening to the radio for a while. “You swore you didn’t want chips”

“I know, but they are delicious” Sam answered, trying again to steal one and succeeding this time.

“I know, but they are mine”

“I know, but you are so generous... you wouldn’t let me starve to death right in front of you, right?”

“Yeah, you look about to pass out from hunger...” Blaine replied sarcastically, but Sam’s pleading look couldn’t be avoided any longer and he caved in, pushing his plate towards his boyfriend with a noticeable sigh. “Ok, stop being so dramatic, here you are”

Sam grinned, satisfied, and hungrily filled his mouth completely with chips, Blaine shaking his head at him in fake disgust. Sam chuckled at him and then he grabbed Blaine’s chair to pull it closer to his, envelop Blaine with an arm around his shoulders and kiss him full on the mouth.

“Don’t kiss me with your mouth all oily, you dirty bastard” Blaine admonished him, but the big smile on his lips clearly belied his words.

“You know you love it anyway” Sam answered cheekily.

“Sometimes I don’t know how I stand you” Blaine joked.

“I don’t know either. Must be that I’m lucky”

“Yeah, that must be it” Blaine answered, but his adoring smile clearly stated how he thought it was the other way around. “Look” Blaine said, turning serious all of a sudden. “I think you should go and try to find a job without me tomorrow. It’s obvious it’s been me who has stopped us from having any success today. You’d do better without me”

“I hate to agree with you, but you may be right. I’ll go and find something, I’m sure, and you won’t have any trouble either once those bruises have faded away” Sam answered, always positive.

“You hate to agree with me? Well, thanks” Blaine joked, grateful Sam hadn’t made an issue of his suggestion and had agreed with it.

“Yeah, don’t get used to me minding you. You know I’ll come off age two months before you will. You’ll be an under-aged youngster under the guidance of a mature and level-headed adult”

“God help us if the mature and level-headed adult is you” Blaine joked.

“Excuse me, I won’t tolerate this kind of attitude, young man” Sam joked back.

“All jokes aside, you’ll really be an adult. Free to do whatever you want. That’s quite big” Blaine said with a dreamy smile.

“Well, you’ll get there too, right?”

“I know, but it seems so far away...”

“What do you think we’ll be doing when you turn eighteen?” Sam asked, in the mood for some daydreaming.

“Whatever it is, we’ll come back home immediately. In fact, my birthday celebration will be a nice train ride home” Blaine promised confidently.

“How can you be so sure? It’s still almost five months away. How do we know we won’t have nice jobs, maybe even a rented home of our own? After all, nothing’s tying us back there, is it?”

“Not me, but you have everything there, Sam. Even if five months from now we have the most perfect life ever here, we have to go back. I wouldn’t keep you away from your people for even one minute more than absolutely necessary. And it won’t be necessary anymore, so...”

“Even if we have everything we want?”

“If we can have it here, we can have it there” Blaine explained, shrugging his shoulders. “All we need is to be together and we won’t need anything else”

“You’re so right” Sam answered, squeezing Blaine’s shoulder.

“I know”

“But you’re wrong about something”

“What?” Blaine asked, confused.

“I don’t have everything there. Not as long as you’re here” Sam explained.

“As if I was letting you go without me...” Blaine laughed, resting his head on Sam’s shoulder as the latter caressed the back of his head.

“You won’t change your mind about that, won’t you?”

“No. You’ve done enough. It will be my turn to give you something back, even if it’s really not that much”

They stayed in silence for a few seconds, feeling comfortable in each other’s arms, until _The best of me_ by Bryan Adams started playing on the radio.

“I love this song” Sam commented, all of a sudden.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful” Blaine agreed.

“Come” Sam asked him as he picked up his hand and stood up.

“What are you doing?” Blaine asked with a smile, all the while indulging with his boyfriend’s antics and letting himself be pulled to the centre of their room.

“We don’t have a song yet, do we?” Sam answered, encircling Blaine’s waist to pull him close and starting to rock their bodies to the beat.

“So this is our song now?” Blaine chuckled, putting his own arms around Sam’s neck and letting himself being rocked by the music and Sam’s body. “Don’t I get to say something in this?”

“You said it was beautiful”

“I did”

“Too late to back out then”

“Ok then” Blaine let himself be convinced and rested his head in Sam’s shoulder, absolutely in bliss about how loved and protected he felt in Sam’s arms. When surrounded by his boyfriend’s love and arms like that, nothing bad could happen.

They rocked together, their breathing synchronized, until the song ended, and then Blaine lifted his head to look at Sam, his eyes so full of love that Sam’s heart skipped a beat with the intensity of it. Feeling the need of reciprocating Blaine’s feeling, he leant forwards to cover the few inches keeping them apart and kissed Blaine slowly, softly, exploring, as if he wanted to memorize every single detail of his lips and his mouth, his arms squeezing his back possessively against him, giving him no space to run. Not that Blaine would have used it, anyway, as he responded willingly to the kiss, strengthening his grip on Sam’s neck and softly caressing the hair on the back of his head.

After everything that had happened in the last days, it felt important to take their time to rediscover each other, to remind themselves why they loved each other so much and why they were taking that big step on their lives just to be together.

After a while, though, Blaine felt an urging of feeling Sam’s skin, and very slowly guided his hands to the bottom of the blond’s T-Shirt and rolled it up to his armpits, exposing Sam’s chest, which he hurried to travel with his lips, planting soft kisses all along his way, eliciting soft sighs from Sam and making his breathing get increasingly faster and shallower. Getting more impatient by the second, Sam hurried to take his t-shirt of completely to get it out of the way and then he proceeded to do the same with Blaine’s, only more slowly: he carefully grabbed Blaine’s arms and lifted them up, caressing them all the way down to Blaine’s waist; then he grabbed the t-shirt and rolled it up, slowly, teasingly, brushing his knuckles all along Blaine’s torso and arms, until it reached past Blaine’s head and was discarded and then, and only then, he allowed Blaine to lower his arms again, while he crouched slightly to be able to reach Blaine’s stomach with his lips, leaving there a kiss that aroused and tickled Blaine at the same time. Sam’s arms went then around his lower back, clutching him, as his lips made their way up Blaine’s chest, to his neck and then his mouth, where passionate kissing started again. Both of them melting in each other’s arms, their hands exploring every inch of the other’s back, they didn’t exchange a word in their whole intercourse, as there was no need for it: they were perfectly aware of each other’s feelings and, even if they hadn’t been, their mutual caresses and slow kisses would have been reassurance enough.

Without breaking the kiss they both started moving towards the bed in unison. Blaine sat on it and Sam followed him, gently pushing him onto the mattress with his own body until Blaine was trapped under Sam’s weight. Not that he cared one bit, as there was no way Blaine felt safer than surrounded by Sam’s arms and body, as he was right now. All coherent thoughts left his mind as Sam’s lips found their way to his weak spot on his neck, right under his ear, and a light moan was all the sound he was able to make when Sam’s teeth gently bit his earlobe and his tongue traced a path from there to his jaw, and to his lips once again.

Sam lifted his body off from Blaine to look at his flushed face and smile lovingly at him, and as he straddled his hips, he ran the palm of his hands all along Blaine’s chest, making him arch his back in anticipation, until he reached his belt and he expertly undid it. The last thing Blaine could remember was how soft and caring Sam’s hands felt on his legs as he removed his trousers. Then Sam fell on him once again to devour his mouth and Blaine’s mind was helplessly surrendered to the pleasure of their brushing skins.


	24. Chapter 24

“Be sure to wrap yourself up well” Blaine advised his boyfriend, throwing a thick scarf around his neck after having breakfast together. “It’s very cold today and I don’t want you falling ill”

“I won’t fall ill, don’t worry” Sam answered as he obediently stood still, letting Blaine make a knot on his scarf for him because he knew taking care of little things for him like that made Blaine feel less guilty about their whole situation.

“How do you know? Are you immune to illness or something?” Blaine joked.

“Practically, I hardly ever get ill” Sam proudly answered.

“Well, I don’t want to risk it”

“But you would take care of me if I did, wouldn’t you?”

“You know I would”

“Then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad... It might be even worth it” Sam teased his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Blaine’s waist to pull him on a kiss.

“Come on, get going” Blaine ordered him when the kiss broke, though not making a move out of Sam’s embrace. “The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll return”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” Sam insisted, even though he already knew the answer.

“Sam, it’s not that I don’t want to” Blaine answered, absentmindedly playing with the ends of Sam’s scarf falling on his chest to avoid his gaze. “I just think it will be better this way. The odds of you finding a job will be better without those damned bruises anywhere near you”

“I know, but I don’t like the idea of you spending the day alone here, obviously feeling guilty about all the wrong in the world”

“I’m not feeling...”

“Please, don’t even try to deny it, I know better” Sam tenderly interrupted him, lovingly playing with the hair on Blaine’s forehead. “I know how little you’re sleeping, and knowing you I have a feeling it could be because of that”

“Okay, I might be feeling a little guilty. But hey, don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. I’ll take advantage of your absence to wash our clothes, maybe even going out to buy some food...”

“Well, if you’re going out then make sure to wrap yourself up well too. I don’t know how immune you are to illness” Sam joked, trying to elicit a smile from Blaine, which he did.

“But wouldn’t you take care of me if I fell ill?” Blaine mockingly pouted.

“I don’t know...” Sam joked, and was not quick enough to avoid being playfully slapped on his arm.

“Well, thank you!” Blaine sarcastically said, and Sam once again captured his lips, feeling Blaine’s smile against his lips.

“I’d take care of you so much that in the end you’d be begging me to leave you alone” Sam assured.

“I can’t really picture myself begging you to leave me alone, to be honest” Blaine answered with a chuckle.

“Good, because I wouldn’t do it”

“You should get going” Blaine said with a sigh.

“You’re going to be okay?” Sam asked, unconsciously squeezing Blaine more strongly to him.

“I’ll be alright, really. Stop worrying about me, you mother hen”

“I’ll try” Sam answered, though he didn’t sound too convincing.

“You better” Blaine teasingly threatened with a smile.

“You could get some sleep while I’m out. You need it” Sam suggested out of the blue.

“Sam, you’re doing it again” Blaine laughed.

“Sorry” Sam answered with an embarrassed grin.

“Don’t be, I love it” Blaine smiled tenderly at him, and Sam cupped his cheeks to kiss him goodbye.

“I’ll see you later, love” Sam said, feeling almost as sad as if they were going to part for a long time, even if it only was going to be for a few hours at the most. But the truth was that from the moment they had picked up that train, they hadn’t been away from each other for more than a minute, and they had got used to it very quickly. Not wanting to prolong the separation moment any longer, Sam just caressed Blaine’s cheek with his knuckles, eliciting a soft smile from him, and then turned around to go.

“I’ll miss you” Blaine told him when he was almost to the door, and Sam wasn’t strong enough to ignore it.

“I’ll miss you more” he answered with a grin, and then he was gone.

The sound of the door closing, even if soft, resounded on Blaine’s heart as if it was empty. _You’re being ridiculous_ , he said to himself, _he’s only leaving for a while and because there’s no other way_. They would be together again in no time, and hopefully with some good news, if Sam could find a job.

And there it was, that horrible feeling of guilt squeezing his heart to which he was getting so used to: not only Sam had had to leave everything to go with him, but now he had to take care of their situation because Blaine was not able. He couldn’t even get a job and the responsibility of keeping them afloat fell on Sam’s shoulders. Good, kind-hearted, amazing Sam. It was so unfair to him...

The facade he had been keeping so Sam wouldn’t worry too much was immediately put aside and suddenly he felt so down he didn’t even feel like doing the things he had told Sam he would: no laundry, no shopping. He just wanted to curl around himself and close his eyes to shut out the whole world until Sam came back. But he knew he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t allow himself the luxury of letting himself fall, because Sam needed him, as much as he needed Sam. And he couldn’t let him down.

Granting himself just a little while to put his thoughts and emotions in order before starting with the things he had to do, he grabbed the book he was reading and went to the common room of the boarding house, a room with a couple of sofas, tables and a television for its guests to spend their free time. At that time of the day, though, it was totally empty, so Blaine took advantage of the situation to sit comfortably on one of the sofas and spend some time doing one of the things he liked the most: reading.

In just a couple of minutes, though, he realized he was not going to be able to enjoy any reading, as he was absolutely unable to concentrate, his mind wandering towards a million different thoughts, his eyes reading the same words over and over again without his brain registering any of them. Obviously frustrated, he sighed deeply and closed the book with an annoyed gesture, and it was then when he realized the nice woman from the house was there, intently looking at him.

“Are you okay, young man?” Mrs. Beiste asked, all kindness.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry” Blaine answered with one of his polite smiles that never failed to charm everyone around. “I just... I couldn’t concentrate on my book”

“That happens to me sometimes too. It’s so annoying, isn’t it?” she said, trying to strike up a conversation with the boy as she sat in front of him. She had been observing him and the other boy since they arrived, and needless to say her maternal instincts had immediately kicked in at such young boys trying to find their way on their own. She was usually pretty proud of the way she could read people, and she could tell they were good boys. A little too trusting and naive maybe, but good boys. And judging by this sweet boy’s marks on his face and the sadness in his eyes, it was obvious they were not having it easy.

“It really is” Blaine answered with another smile. He normally hated small talk with strangers, but that kind woman made him feel at ease.

“It usually happens when I have worries in my head” she said, pointedly.

“I know what you mean...” Blaine answered, trying to avoid the obvious attempt to get him to talk, but Mrs. Beiste was having none of that.

“Is that your case?” she insisted.

“I guess” he answered reluctantly, not wanting to be rude even if he was not dying to talk about him and his personal situation.

“Anything I can do to help?” she kindly offered. She really liked that boy, so polite and with such an easy smile even when his eyes were so filled with sorrow, and really wanted to help him.

“Not really, it’s just... I can’t seem to find any job because of...” Blaine stopped himself, not wanting to give too much information.

“Are you really looking for a job?” she asked, not demanding any more explanation of him.

“Yeah, of course really”

“Well... I used to have this girl working here, you know: helping me with the rooms, with the shopping or any other errand that may arise. You know, I’m not getting any younger. But she had to leave and I haven’t been able to find someone I could trust enough to do it. Maybe you would be interested?”

“Are you serious?” Blaine asked, his eyes wide open in surprise and excitement.

“Of course!” she laughed kindly. “I won’t be able to pay you that much, I’m afraid, but you can live here for free, obviously in a better and bigger room so you can feel at home, meals included. That way, the little you’d earn would be entirely for you”

“But... you don’t know me at all. How do you know you can trust me?” Blaine asked. He really wanted the job, but he had to be honest with her, as she had been nothing but great to him and Sam since they arrived.

“I just know” she answered, confidently, and it was all Blaine could do not to break in tears of gratitude.

“But... what about my… friend?” Blaine asked, not wanting to be too specific about his relationship with Sam in case the woman was not that open minded.

“I don’t think you would accept the job if your _friend_ wasn’t part of the deal, am I wrong?” Mrs. Beiste pointed with a knowing smile.

“No, you’re not wrong” Blaine answered, smiling embarrassedly as he realized he had not fooled the woman about his relationship with Sam for even a second.

“I was thinking you’d say that. He will be staying with you for free too, of course, the room is big enough for you two. And his meals will be included in the deal as well. It’s not like I’m going to leave him on the streets, right?” he joked, patting Blaine’s leg kindly as she was already getting up. “You can calmly move your things to your new room today and start working tomorrow. How does that sound?”

“It sounds so perfect I can hardly believe it” Blaine answered honestly, deeply moved by the woman’s selfless kindness. “Thank you”

“The best way of thanking me will be to make a good job” she dismissed his appraisal, already on her way out of the room, just as happy as Blaine was of being able to help him.

“I will” he promised. “You won’t regret it, I promise”

“I’m sure I won’t” she answered with a last warm smile.

**********

Although Blaine was still missing Sam like crazy three hours later, obviously, the sadness and frustration he had been feeling that morning were gone, replaced by excitement, happiness and relief they were going to make it (at least they could count on a place to stay and food to eat). And if Sam could find a job... then everything would be too great to be true!

Blaine had already finished packing his own suitcase and leaving it on their new room when he decided to start doing Sam’s too. He was sure he wouldn’t mind Blaine going through his things –they were well beyond the point of any embarrassment or being afraid of taking too many liberties by then–, and that way everything would be done when he arrived and they could spend the evening being together and enjoying the surprise Blaine had ready for his boyfriend.

He was just about to close Sam’s suitcase, all his things packed too, when he heard the doorknob moving and smiled at his boyfriend’s comeback. He hardly had had the chance to acknowledge his arrival when Sam ran to Blaine and, without giving him the time to react, enveloped him in a bear hug and kissed him full in the mouth. Blaine smiled into the kiss and took the chance to put his arms around Sam’s neck in a warm embrace. He didn’t know why Sam was feeling so happy, but he couldn’t wait to tell him his own news: then he would be beaming with joy.

“I’ve got a job” Sam mumbled against Blaine’s lips even before the kiss broke.

“Do you?” Blaine asked in obvious excitement, looking intently at Sam’s face, seeing his own happiness reflected in Sam’s eyes. “This is so great! Where is it?”

“In a little gas station. They don’t pay a fortune, but it’s near and the shifts are good. And hey, it’s something!” Sam explained in a rush, never letting go of Blaine.

“That’s great! I’m so proud of you…” Blaine answered, once again capturing Sam’s lips in a kiss born of happiness and euphoria.

“I know. And how was your day? What have you been doing while…?” Sam started to ask, but then he noticed his suitcase on the bed, open and obviously being packed, and a sense of foreboding that all his adventure was ending landed on his heart. He carefully extricated himself from Blaine’s embrace and moved to the bed, to check the suitcase, to see for himself his eyes were not lying to him. “What is this?” he asked in a scared whisper. He knew Blaine was feeling down that morning when he left, but he didn’t think it was that bad. He knew he shouldn’t have left him alone.

Blaine immediately understood the sudden change is Sam’s mood: he might have thought he was leaving, or forcing him to go back home, or for the two of them to leave the place… He smiled understandingly and closed the gap between them, immediately embracing Sam’s waist from behind while he rested the side of his face on the back of the blond’s shoulder.

“I’ve got some news too. I also got a job” he explained, and the confusion in Sam’s face just grew as he turned his head around to look at his boyfriend.

“How? Where? And what does this mean? Are we moving?” Sam asked in a rush, and Blaine smiled, patiently.

“That’s too many questions” Blaine chuckled, raising his face from Sam’s shoulder so he could look at him. “I got a job here, at the boarding house. I will help Mrs. Beiste with everything that’s needed with the rooms, maintenance... She won’t be able to pay me much, but we both can stay and eat here for free. We are only moving to a bigger room”

Sam’s dreadful expression changed immediately to one of pure delight, and he turned around in Blaine’s arms to properly hug him again.

“That’s great! For a minute I thought…” Sam confessed.

“That I was going to make you go back home?” Blaine finished the sentence with a smile, breaking the embrace to look at him.

“Yeah” Sam answered, smiling embarrassedly.

“I’ve already given up on that” Blaine joked, planting a tender kiss on Sam’s cheek.

“Can you believe this is happening?” Sam asked rhetorically, putting an arm around Blaine’s shoulders, so much hope in his voice that Blaine could only smile indulgently at him, loving him more and more by the second. “Yesterday we didn’t have anything, and now, suddenly, we both have jobs and a place to stay. I think we are going to make it”

“Yeah, I think so” Blaine nodded at him, his own face shining with happiness for the first time since their escape. “But... I’ve still got one more surprise for you”

“Do you? I don’t know if my heart can take any more happiness today”

“It will have to” Blaine answered enigmatically, and he moved to close Sam’s suitcase. “Let’s go to our new room. Or should we say home?”

“ _Home_ has a nice ring to it” Sam answered, helping Blaine with the suitcase, both of them holding it between them to share the weight even if there was really no need.

“So this is it” Blaine announced when they reached a door and produced the key to open it. “You’ll see how much nicer it is”

Blaine opened the door and entered, quickly stepping aside for Sam to go in too. When Sam entered the room, his mouth fell open. Yes, it was a much bigger room: apart from the bed and a table area, like in the other, it had a television set, a desk and a bathroom only for them. But that was not what had touched Sam’s heart so deeply: it was how the whole room was lit only with candles, the table dressed like on a fancy restaurant and some soft music sounding from their old radio.

“This is...” Sam started, but before he could find the right word to say, Blaine interrupted him with a warm and loving kiss to his lips.

“So may you grant me the honor of a date? Nice dinner and a movie. Are you up to it?” Blaine asked with a big smile, and by the expression on Sam’s face it was quite clear what his answer was going to be, even if it wasn’t expressed by words.

A delighted smile broke into Sam’s lips at Blaine’s scheme, and the only thing he could do was to embrace Blaine strongly to him. Blaine might feel guilty about Sam leaving everything behind to be with him, but there was no way Sam could regret it, seeing as Blaine managed to make him happier and happier every day with those little details that filled his days with love and excitement.

“How can you be so wonderful?” Sam asked, breaking the embrace to look at him, as if he was mesmerized by his beauty –both internal and external.

“It must be that you deserve it” Blaine answered, with a shy smile.

“I don’t think I deserve that much”

“If you only knew...”

“And hey, what’s that thing about a movie?” Sam decided to change the subject before he got too emotional. “I don’t think we can’t afford going to the cinema yet”

“Of course we can’t but we are as lucky as to have a DVD player! Can you believe it? The girl who worked here prior to me left it here, so Mrs. Beiste said we could use it. I’m sorry about the movie, though, there’s only _Die hard_ or one of the _Harry Potter_ films to choose”

“I think _Harry Potter_ would be more in order. Tonight’s all about magic, isn’t it?”

“It sure is” Blaine answered with an adoring smile, just before planting another sonorous kiss on the corner of Sam’s mouth and pulling out a chair for him to sit. “Would you please sit down, sir?”

“I’ll be honored to do so” Sam responded, mockingly polite, but he obeyed anyway.

They had their romantic dinner, and couldn’t feel happier about it, even if it was only the candles and the love they felt for each other what made it special. Even if they had started the meal in front of each other, they had been moving closer and closer together around the round table to the point where their desserts were eaten in each other’s arms, Sam’s arm having gone around the back of Blaine’s chair to bring him closer, Blaine’s hand on Sam’s thigh.

“Should we move this to the bed?” Sam suggested when they were finished, and Blaine slapped him playfully on his leg.

“Not so fast, you pervert” he teasingly admonished him. “Aren’t you going to let me finish the date as planned?”

“I meant to watch the film! Who’s the pervert now?”

“Okay, that’s on me” Blaine admitted, blushing adoringly. “But only this time!”

Blaine inserted the movie on the DVD player and hurried to his under the covers beside his boyfriend, already on the bed, with their heads resting against the headboard of the bed to properly watch the television.

It wasn’t much later when Blaine went into a cuddly mood and rested his side against Sam, just wanting for them to be in contact. Sam smiled indulgently and lifted his arm to throw it around Blaine’s shoulders, so the latter only had to recline against Sam’s chest to feel at bliss. The contented sigh he let go was good proof of it, Sam thought with a smile, and he squeezed him more strongly to him, both of them snuggling under the covers.

“I don’t get it” Blaine commented, frustrated, after a while of watching the film. “Why is this Voldemort...?”

“He who must not be named” Sam interrupted.

“Oh, shut up” Blaine chuckled.

“What were you going to ask?” Sam asked, laughing too at seeing Blaine so happy and, above all, almost carefree for the first time since he met him.

“Why does he hate Harry so much? And why is it up to Harry to finish him?”

“You know that, it’s in all the other films”

“I’ve never watched any of them”

“Really? I mean... really? So you have never seen or read ‘Harry Potter’?” Sam asked, dumbfounded.

“I swear I haven’t”

“But he is... a wizard” Sam said, as if that explained all that was important.

“I know”

“Wizards rule”

“Do they?”

“I don’t know if this thing between us is going to work...” Sam joked, and he received a chuckle and a nudge on his ribs for good measure.

“You’ll have to enlighten me about the whole Harry Potter universe, if it’s so important to you” Blaine answered, and Sam could see he was only half joking.

“Oh, I will” Sam jokingly threatened, even if he took the time to rest a loving kiss on Blaine’s forehead. “You kind of remind me of Harry, you know? So special and strong, fighting against everything trying to put him down and always saving the day in the end”

“Harry wouldn’t have done any of that without his loved ones around him, you know?” Blaine answered, looking lovingly at Sam from his place on his chest, making the blond’s heart beat twice as hard at all the devotion and gratitude in Blaine’s words, obviously directed at him. “They’re the real heroes here”

“You still remind me of him, though” Sam insisted, trying to keep it light because he could see himself breaking down in sobs of emotion if he let Blaine’s words sink in too much. “If they ever turn this into a play or a musical or whatever you should really play him. A curly-haired sweet and at the same time so hot Harry Potter. I would pay to see that”

“You’re crazy” Blaine answered with a wholehearted laugh before he nestled more closely to his chest and hid his face under Sam’s chin, sighing in utter contentment as the grip on the blond’s waist straightened.

The movie was not finished yet when Sam felt the entire weight of Blaine’s head falling on his upper chest, as he had silently fallen asleep. Maybe it was because with the two of them having jobs and a secure place to stay a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders; or maybe he had finally seen how happy he made Sam and had stopped feeling guilty about it at last. Sam didn’t know the reason, but he didn’t care: the important thing for him was that Blaine was finally able to fall asleep at a reasonable hour, and with a contented little smile set on his lips. Sam turned the television off with the remote and very very carefully lifted Blaine’s head so he could slip underneath him and lay down completely, and then he tenderly positioned Blaine’s head again on him and covered them both more efficiently, making extra sure Blaine’s exposed shoulder was well covered, so he wouldn’t get cold and wake up.

Sam suddenly realized there was no way he could be feeling better than this: comfortably lying down, Blaine’s body fully pressed against his side, his head resting on his shoulder, his breath warming and tickling his neck at the same time... Yes, maybe they were a little too young to be depending only on themselves and they had had to leave a lot behind, but Sam could see how much they had grown in just a few days, and how the scatterbrained and cheeky teenager he had been only a few weeks ago had already been buried under a newly-found maturity that he felt suited him so well. And it was all thanks to Blaine, to the wonderful and amazing person Blaine was, he though with a loving smile as he deposited a tiny kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead and closed his eyes to sleep too. Blaine got the best of him and no, there was no way he could ever regret it.


	25. Chapter 25

Sam and Blaine separated the next morning with a loving kiss and a encouraging hug, as both of them were about to start their new jobs. Before letting him go, Blaine once again checked Sam’s scarf was well wrapped around his neck and Sam once again checked there was no trace of worry or sadness in Blaine’s eyes. They both knew they acted like an old married couple, but far from being embarrassed about it, they loved it, as they made them feel secure and proud of each other’s love.

The day went by without much incidence, except for the two of them learning to do their jobs, giving the best of themselves and missing each other like crazy. So when the time for Sam to finish his shift came, Blaine decided to surprise him at the petrol station. That, and the fact he couldn’t wait any longer to see him, of course.

“Hey, love” Blaine tried to catch his attention from behind as Sam was putting on his jacket, jokingly patting his shoulder, and Sam immediately turned around, a smile already on his lips at his boyfriend’s voice.

“Hey, babe!” he answered merrily, as he placed a quick peck on Blaine’s lips and warmly embraced him. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought it would be nice to go and pick my boyfriend from work” Blaine answered with an adoring smile that made Sam fall in love with him all over again.

“It is nice, you’re right” Sam answered in appreciation, as he put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and they both started walking together back home and away from the winter cold.

“So how was your first day, mister professional?” Blaine joked, trying not to show too much how proud he felt of him, and kissed his cheek before he himself put his arm around Sam’s waist as they walked.

“It was good” Sam answered, nodding enthusiastically. “My boss is very nice, he patiently showed me all I needed to know to start”

“That’s good. You deserve to be treated nice” Blaine joked, squeezing Sam’s waist to bring him closer to him, although there was a lot of truth in his words.

“No more than you” Sam answered honestly, with a loving smile. “And how was your day?”

“It was good too” Blaine answered, contentedly. “I helped Mrs. Beiste clean the common areas and then went shopping for groceries while she tidied up the rooms. She was even nice enough to let me go a little early so I could come and pick you up. I think she loves us quite much and wants to spoil us a bit”

“I guess you gave her one of your good-boy smiles and she immediately succumbed to your charm, right?”

“Maybe” Blaine answered, blushing a little in embarrassment as how accurate Sam’s words were.

“You’re incorrigible” Sam chuckled, shaking his head.

“I’m not that bad” Blaine protested.

“Yes, you are, but I love you all the same”

“Awww, look at you getting all sentimental” Blaine playfully pouted in emotion.

“And look at you, making it look like a joke!” Sam answered with mock indignation.

“I’m not! I love it when you become a soppy moron!”

“Well, thanks” Sam sarcastically said, and Blaine chuckled at him.

“You’re always welcome”

“I can’t believe we’ve got so lucky all of a sudden” Sam suddenly said, more seriously, after a couple of minutes in comfortable silence. “I think my boss suspects there’s something out of the ordinary with me, but far from being scared about it, he offered me not so sign a contract if I didn’t want to and to get paid under the table, which is great so our names don’t get registered anywhere”

“I guess it was time for us to get a bit of luck, wasn’t it?” Blaine asked with a smile, but Sam knew him enough to read some sadness under it even if he tried to hide it. 

“It surely was” Sam answered softly, placing a reassuring kiss to Blaine’s temple, and then he tried to change the subject so as for Blaine’s mind not to dwell in the reasons that brought them there too much. “By the way, I thought I’d made it clear that we needed to buy you a pair of gloves. Look at your hands” Sam said, picking up Blaine’s free hand with his own. “They’re all blue and chapped from the cold”

“Ok, mother hen is back” Blaine joked, although he secretly loved when Sam worried about him.

“And with vengeance, I might add” Sam joked back, letting go of Blaine’s shoulders to hold his hand instead, rubbing it in his to warm it up. “Put your other hand in your pocket, we are going shopping right now”

“Yes, sir” Blaine imitated the military hand salute with a smile before immediately obeying, and Sam chuckled at him, while they both kept on walking together, content after a long day in which they felt they had become adults who were able to take care of themselves and each other. Things were definitely looking brighter for them. Finally.

**********

A couple of days passed in which things remained mostly the same: they separated in the morning, they spent the day working, and then Blaine would pick Sam up from work –now with gloves on his hands– and they would walk together back home as they explained everything that had happened to them that day to each other. And then they would spend the evening resting, watching TV, talking or whatever came to their minds. They only thing they cared about was being together, and they couldn’t be happier about how things were going.

After their fourth day since they had started working, Blaine got into bed after having supper, intending to watch a history documentary on television he was very interested in. Sam had jokingly grumbled about it when he had told him before supper, calling him a spoilsport and a pseudo-intellectual while Blaine laughed, but had not insisted for him to let it be, as he knew he really enjoyed those kind of shows.

So it was a little surprise for Blaine when Sam got into bed to watch the documentary with him. He usually was quite bored by those kind of TV shows and he’d prefer to grab a magazine to leaf through or listen to some music on his headphones. But that night he quietly laid down on the bed next to Blaine, who was resting his back against the headboard, and nestled on Blaine’s chest, carefully tucking his head under Blaine’s chin, who surprised as he was, didn’t lose a second to envelope Sam with an arm around his upper body.

That’s how Blaine realized Sam was not in the least interested in the documentary, and had probably just been looking for comfort in the shape of physical contact. Sam usually liked to hold Blaine in his arms whenever they cuddled; yet that night he was the one in the need to feel surrounded, protected. And that immediately made all the alarms go off in Blaine’s head and for him to lose all interest in the documentary. There was and would never be anything more important than Sam’s welfare.

“Sammy?” Blaine said softly, almost whispering, so as not to disturb the calmness of the room.

“Yeah?” Sam answered, equally soft.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked, almost tentatively.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Sam answered with a smile, looking up at his boyfriend’s face from his chest.

“I don’t know, but you seem... kind of sad” Blaine answered honestly.

“I’m okay, love, don’t worry” Sam kindly dismissed his worries, turning his eyes to look at the screen again.

“Are you...?” Blaine didn’t dare to ask what was on his mind.

“What is it, sweetie?” Sam asked, sensing his hesitation.

“Have you started regretting it? For us to come here, I mean. I’d just like to know because I’d understand completely” Blaine confessed his biggest insecurity.

Sam smiled fondly at his boyfriend and stretched his neck to kiss the corner of his mouth.

“I haven’t regretted it for a second, okay? I’m so happy here with you, especially now that things are looking brighter for us. There’s no way I could regret it” Sam answered, completely honest.

“Then why do you look so sad?” Blaine insisted.

“Okay, I’m feeling a bit down today” Sam confessed suddenly with a deep sigh, “but I swear I don’t regret anything. It’s just... I miss my family. And the boys”

Blaine felt a familiar stab of guilt in his heart, one with which he was learning to live, but today it felt stronger than ever due to the sadness emanating from his boyfriend’s expression. Blaine kissed Sam’s forehead and strengthened his grip on him, trying to make him feel better.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” he gently reprimanded his boyfriend.

“Because I knew it would make you feel guilty” Sam simply answered.

“I’m not feeling...” Blaine tried, though Sam knew better.

“Yes, you are, don’t even try to deny it” Sam answered in a joking tone, and Blaine chuckled at it.

“I’m so sorry you miss them so much” Blaine lamented sincerely.

“I guess it’s just natural to do it, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Especially considering you didn’t have any reason to walk away from them”

“How about accompanying the person I love?” Sam reminded his boyfriend with a smile.

“You know what I mean. You went away to accomplish something, not to run away. That’s the difference: you miss them because you were not prepared to leave them behind”

“I guess you’re right” Sam admitted. Why was Blaine always so wise?

“And that’s what I’ve been fearing all along. And why I didn’t want you to come”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I miss them, they’re my family. But I can live with it. If I had lost you... I don’t think I could have stood it”

“It’s still not fair you had to choose”

“It was never a choice in the first place, Blaine. It was the only option. Just as I know it would have been for you, if it had been the other way around”

“And can’t you explain this to your parents?” Blaine suggested, hesitantly. “Maybe if you’d call them...”

“I just can’t talk to them. I can’t begin to imagine how disappointed they’ll be in me” Sam whispered sadly. So that was what had been worrying him all along, Blaine thought.

“Will they?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m sure they are not happy you are not near them right now, but I don’t know... the fact they have not reported your disappearance must mean they trust you to make your own decisions, don’t they?”

“What if I call them and they want to convince me to come back? I can’t break their hearts again”

“I understand, and as I told you it’s your decision. I just... I think they’d be happy to hear you. And maybe it would make you some good too” Blaine reasoned, all the while playing with Sam’s hair between his fingers.

“I know. Maybe... maybe I could give them a call the day after tomorrow. It’s Saturday and neither them nor us have to work, so I guess it would be a good time” Sam said, not sounding too convinced even if he knew Blaine only wanted the best for him.

“I think it’s a great idea” Blaine nodded, just before placing a loving kiss on Sam’s forehead.

“Okay, and now stop talking and start listening to the television. You’ve missed enough of that documentary of yours”

“You know what? Suddenly it doesn’t look that interesting...” Blaine said in a suggestive voice as he reversed their positions and he straddled Sam’s hips to the bed and approached their faces until their lips were merely inches apart from each other’s.

“Do you have any other ideas to spend the evening?” Sam mockingly asked, even as his hands had already found their way under Blaine’s sweater and were softly caressing the skin of the brunet’s lower back.

“Maybe” Blaine hoarsely answered before breaking the distance between them and capturing Sam’s lips in a searing kiss that instantly made him forget.

**********

“So... no pool playing today?” Sebastian asked his friends as they all sat around a table in their favorite bar after another long day at class. It was unusual for Puck and Mike not to be at the pool tables, Sebastian realized, and that’s why he had asked about it.

“No, Puck is not in the mood today” Mike replied, making a stupid voice as if he was imitating Puck, throwing him an angry look that told Sebastian that Mike was not happy with his best friend.

“Am I not allowed to have a low day?” Puck protested, and Sebastian had to bit his bottom lip to avoid laughing at both their annoyed expressions.

“On a Friday? And why would that be?” Sebastian insisted.

“Mister couldn’t-care-less-about-his-grades is suddenly feeling troubled ‘cause he failed an exam” Mike sarcastically answered for him.

“It’s not that funny when you are the only one who fails...” Puck added, quite moody. “I miss Sam”

“Come on” Sebastian protested with a laugh. “Since Blaine arrived, Sam didn’t fail any more exams. You’ve been the only one for some time now”

“Okay, now you’re just rubbing salt into the wound” Puck protested, but they could clearly see he was having a hard time trying not to smile.

“He’s failed every single exam since the year started, and now all of a sudden it’s a problem” Mike protested once again, clearly annoyed at his friend’s lack of interest in playing with him today.

“Weren’t you the one who told me to take my studies more seriously?” Puck pointed out to Mike.

“But that means studying before an exam, not pouting like a baby when you’ve failed it” Mike answered, and Sebastian had to chuckle.

“Oh, I’ll play with you, Mike” Sebastian offered, to avoid a confrontation.

“Thanks, Seb!” Mike answered happily, his face already shinning again.

“Hey, if you’re both going to play...” Puck started.

“Oh, now you want to play?” Mike asked, incredulous, already on his feet and walking to the pool area, so Puck hurried to keep up with them.

“I don’t want to be left alone here!” he yelled after his friends.

They were about to start a game when Sebastian’s phone started ringing.

“One second, boys” Sebastian said as he hurried to pick it up. “Hello?”

“Hi, Seb. It’s Mary Evans” Sam’s mother greeted him. “Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes, yes, of course” Sebastian kindly answered. “Is everything alright?”

“Have you talked to Sam and Blaine lately?” Mary asked in a rush.

“Em... no, just that call some days ago I already told you about” Sebastian answered, sensing something was happening.

“I hope they are okay”

“I’m sure they are, Mary. Try not to worry too much”

“It’s not just that. We need to talk to them urgently. And now we can only wait for them to call home or to call you, can’t we?”

“Why? Is everything okay?” Sebastian asked, feeling worried all of a sudden.

“Sebastian, something’s happened. And they need to know”

**********

Next morning, just as promised, Blaine and Sam had breakfast without any rush, as it was their free day, and then they made their way towards the public phone at the entrance of the boarding house, with the intention of calling Sam’s parents.

Sam stood in front of the phone and sighed deeply, trying to get the courage to do it. Blaine, who had not moved from his side, immediately put his hand on Sam’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, wanting to make sure he knew how much he supported him.

“I guess now it’s as good a time as any” Sam commented, just trying to postpone the moment.

“Yes” Blaine simply answered, before giving him an encouraging smile.

Sam nodded at him gratefully, and then he slowly picked up the phone receiver and rested it against his ear. He moved his fingers to the buttons and he shakily dialed a number he knew very well.

“It’s ringing already” he informed Blaine, who just nodded at him.

A ring. Two. Nobody picked it up. Three. Sam could just picture his mother hurrying towards the phone from another room of the house, complaining about his husband not doing it even if it was sitting right next to it. Four. She must be so close to picking it up now, Sam thought. Suddenly it all seemed too much and Sam closed his eyes in surrender.

“I... I can’t” Sam lamented with a broken voice, hanging up the phone before it was answered. “I thought I could, but I don’t”

Blaine could hear some tears in Sam’s voice, even if they were not in his eyes, so he cupped the back of Sam’s head, gently caressing the hair there, and joined their foreheads together.

“It’s alright, love. I’m sorry I insisted, I should have seen you were not ready” Blaine apologized, his heart breaking for his boyfriend.

“Maybe... maybe some other day” Sam pleaded for Blaine to understand.

“Of course. When you’re ready” Blaine reassured him with a caress to his cheek.

“I’m such a coward...” Sam lamented, shaking his head and looking down so as not to meet what he thought would be a disapproving gaze from his boyfriend.

“What?” Blaine exclaimed, putting his finger under Sam’s chin to make him lift his face so he would just have to look at him. “No way, Sam, I’m not letting you think that about yourself. Come on, look at what you did! You left everything behind and started a new life from scratch, and it was just for me! You’re the bravest person I know, Sammy”

“You think so?” Sam asked, with something as hope in his voice.

“Of course I do! You’re my hero” Blaine praised him, enveloping in a bear hug.

“I don’t think I’m a hero at all” Sam contradicted him, but he buried his face in Blaine’s neck all the same, grateful for the loving support.

“You are to me” Blaine insisted.

“Then that’s more than enough”

“You can call home any other time. Whenever you’re ready. And I’ll be right at your side when you are”

“I love you” Sam told him with a smile, breaking the embrace to be able to look at him, and then he cupped Blaine’s cheeks and kissed him tenderly.

“Not more than I love you” Blaine answered devotedly, glad Sam was already feeling a bit better.

“I think we could discuss that...” Sam joked as he enveloped Blaine in a half hug and they started walking in each other’s arms back to their room and away from the phone, unaware of the big event that had taken place back at home and that would change their lives.


	26. Chapter 26

Sam opened his eyes and sighed, confused. What was he doing awake? It was... four in the morning, according to his watch? Surely not a reasonable hour to wake up. Even Blaine was sleeping, and it was not that frequent for Sam to be awake as Blaine slept. Well, it didn’t matter, he thought as he turned to lie on his side, facing his boyfriend. To contemplate Blaine’s beautiful profile as he waited for sleep to find him again was a good enough option.

As he looked at Blaine’s face, which a second ago he had thought it looked completely peaceful, he noticed Blaine’s eyes moving swiftly underneath his eyelids, as if he was trapped in a very vivid scene in his dreams. Sam approached him and that’s when he noticed Blaine was murmuring something in his sleep. Even if Sam couldn’t really understand a word coming from Blaine’s lips, by his tone and his light moaning it was clear it was not a good dream. Maybe that was what had made Sam wake up: the instinct of protecting Blaine from whatever may hurt him. Sam couldn’t stand to see his boyfriend suffer, so he decided maybe it would be for the best to wake him up.

Just as Sam was about to rest his hand on Blaine’s shoulder to gently shake him awake, Blaine suddenly shuddered and his eyes opened abruptly on their own, scaring the hell out of Sam for the abruptness of it. However, Blaine still had to register Sam’s presence at his side, judging by how scared he looked.

“Blaine?” Sam asked, his hand carefully reaching for the curls falling on Blaine’s forehead, and was surprised to find them moist with sweat.

When Blaine didn’t answer immediately, still lost in the limit between dream and reality, Sam got worried and gently grabbed Blaine’s chin to turn his face to look at him.

“Blaine?” he repeated, a little louder, and this time Blaine’s eyes focused in his even in the almost absolute darkness of the room and Sam let out a relieved sigh.

“Sam” Blaine acknowledged his presence, noticeably gulping. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, sweetie” Sam answered gently, as he let go of Blaine’s chin to start stroking the hair on the top of his head in a calming motion once again. “Were you having a nightmare?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Sorry I woke you” Blaine honestly apologized, covering his face with his hands, breathing deeply to try and go back to normality.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sam gently offered, knowing it had not been an ordinary nightmare, judging by Blaine’s mental state at the moment.

“I can’t, I don’t really remember” Blaine answered with a sigh, uncovering his face and turning to look at the worried face of his boyfriend.

“You don’t remember anything about your nightmare?”

“Hardly anything. Just that my father was in it and that I woke up terrified” Blaine shuddered at remembering the deep emotion he had felt at awakening, and Sam hurried to put his arm around Blaine’s waist and bring him close to him to embrace him, kissing his cheek in the process.

“Your father can’t hurt you here” Sam reminded him. “You know that, don’t you?”

“He could if they found us” Blaine answered, his voice a little shaky.

“They’ll not find us” Sam answered, with more confidence in his voice that he really felt.

“You can’t be sure of that. I’ll never be safe until I turn eighteen”

“I hate that man so much for making you live in permanent fear...” Sam confessed before he could stop himself. He had always tried to be prudent with words when talking about Blaine’s father, knowing how much of a delicate issue it was, but having to watch his boyfriend waking up terrified in the middle of the night, even when he was miles away from that monster, was more that he could stand.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it” Blaine apologized, fearing his boyfriend had a low opinion of him because of his vulnerability.

“Oh, sweetheart, I understand... I’m not angry nor disappointed at you. How could I ever be? You’re perfect to me. I just... I hate him”

“Don’t. Hate is a very destructive emotion, and I don’t want you to ever change. Not for him. He’s not worth it”

“How can you be so forgiving, after all he’s done to you?”

“I’m not. I haven’t forgiven him. And I don’t think I ever will. I can’t forgive him for all the pain, and fear, and shame he put me through...” Blaine whispered, his voice breaking a little more with each word.

“The way he treated you... how he didn’t hesitate to beat his own son for no reason... it’s something I’ll never be able to understand”

“But that wasn’t the worst of it, you know? The physical pain, I mean. I could have stood it if there had been the slightest hint of caring in him. What I will never forgive him for is...” Blaine tried to explain, but a knot of tears had formed in his throat and didn’t let him continue.

“What is it, love?” Sam gently insisted as the tip of his fingers gently traced the outline of Blaine’s face, feeling he needed a bit of encouragement to let it all out.

“How alone and miserable he made me feel... as if it didn’t matter at all if I existed”

“Oh, love” Sam felt like crying himself about how much and how deep than man had hurt his boyfriend. “You know that’s not true now, do you?”

“Isn’t it?” Blaine asked, desperate to believe him.

“Of course it isn’t! You’re my whole life! If only for my sake, you’re the most important person in the world”

“Don’t you ever leave me, please” Blaine pleaded in a broken voice, just as he turned on his side to bury his face on Sam’s neck, embracing him strongly as if he just wanted to disappear in his arms.

Sam, surprised at first at Blaine’s emotions, quickly put both his arms around Blaine’s body and squeezed him strongly to his chest, sensing that’s what he needed at the moment. That nightmare and the fear it had caused, plus the awful memories he kept of his father, had really affected him, but fortunately Sam was there to make it all okay again.

“I could never leave you, my love” he whispered in Blaine’s ear, squeezing him once again and depositing a soft kiss on his temple. Sam felt Blaine’s tension starting to melt in his arms and he knew he was doing things right. If he had to be Blaine’s pillar of strength for him to trust the world again, so be it. He would not delegate that task to anyone else.

“Promise?”

“I swear”

None of them moved from their position, each of them in a big need of feeling the other’s body in contact with his own for different reasons. Blaine fell asleep after some minutes just like that, practically lying on top of Sam, his face hidden in the crook of the blond’s neck, enveloped in strong arms that never failed to make him feel secure. Sam, though, stayed awake a little bit longer, willing to guard his boyfriend’s sleep and make sure no more nightmares invaded his mind, not losing his grip on him even a little bit even after he closed his eyes in slumber too.

**********

“Will you stop fidgeting already? You’re exhausting me!” Puck protested as Sebastian changed position compulsively for the hundredth time.

The three friends were sitting on the sofa in Sebastian’s garage on Sunday morning. Even without Sam and Blaine there, they had decided to keep on with the band, as they knew the couple would come back someday and they wanted to be prepared for the big moment.

That day, though, they were not really in the mood for any rehearsing: the news from the day before had really shaken them, and they were anxious to be able to get in contact with Blaine and Sam to be able to tell them. So they were just sitting, taking comfort in each other’s company.

“I can’t help it! I’m nervous” Sebastian answered, irritated about Puck’s lack of understanding.

“You don’t say!” Puck retorted, half joking, half annoyed.

“Calm down, Seb” Mike offered, more kindly. “They’ll call soon enough and we’ll be able to explain everything”

“But when? They need to know as soon as possible. Why the hell didn’t I ask for a way to reach them? We knew something like this could happen” Sebastian lamented.

“Seb, we never imagined something like this would happen” Mike tried to reason with him. “At least not so soon”

“Yeah, I know” Sebastian admitted.

“And there’s a reason for them not to give us a way to reach them, and that is the fact they didn’t want to be found” Puck reminded him.

“Believe me, they would want to know that” Sebastian contradicted him.

“I know, but all we can do now is wait and hope they’ll call sooner or later”

“I hope it’s sooner rather than later...”

**********

Meanwhile, Sam and Blaine were having a late breakfast, as they had woken up pretty late after the whole nightmare incident. Blaine smiled as he remembered how he had awoken, completely wrapped in Sam’s arms, and feeling more secure and content that he had in a while.

“What are you smiling at?” Sam asked, grinning himself, as he sat opposite him on the table in the room they shared.

“Nothing, really. I was just remembering how lucky I am to have you” Blaine answered, completely honest.

“I don’t know if you’re lucky, but you do have me, that’s for sure” Sam promised with a loving smile that Blaine reciprocated.

“Sam, last night...” Blaine started, but Sam could sense the curly-haired boy getting serious or worried and he didn’t want to hear anything about it.

“Let’s forget about last night, it was just a nightmare. You’re safe now” Sam gently interrupted him.

“That’s not what I wanted to say. Last night... I was feeling scared and vulnerable, and I made you promise something I didn’t have the right to even ask”

“What? To not leave you?” Sam asked in bewilderment. How did Blaine not have the right to ask him that, when Sam had already given him his heart without conditions?

“Yes. I know you love me, and you know I love you like crazy but... I’m not your responsibility. I mean... it’s not up to you to take care of me, not in that way. I know you want to be with me, you’ve proven that enough. You’re here, after all. But the day may come when you don’t want to be with me anymore...”

“That’s never going to happen” Sam interrupted him, almost offended by the idea.

“Please, listen to me. I’m not saying it WILL happen but if it does... I just want you to know I’ll never hold you to that promise. If the day comes when you don’t want to be with me anymore then... I don’t want you to stay just because you feel you have to”

“I’ll never be with you without wanting it, because I will never stop wanting you” Sam told him, completely honest, as he picked Blaine’s hand and held it between both of his, eliciting another smile from Blaine.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting you either. But I needed to tell you that”

“You know I didn’t come with you out of pity or compassion, do you?” Sam asked, wanting to make sure Blaine understood he was there only because he loved him.

“Yeah, I guess I know” Blaine nodded with a wide grin, and Sam relaxed at the knowledge that Blaine was finally starting to assimilate he really deserved to be loved.

“Good” Sam nodded jokingly as he let go of Blaine’s hand and continued with his breakfast.

“You know what I thought?” Blaine said after a couple of minutes in silence, deciding to change the subject. “I know you’re not ready to talk to your parents yet, but there’s a way to let them know we are okay”

“Yeah? How?” Sam asked, curious.

“We could give the boys a call again. I’d love to hear from them anyway, it’s been too long since we last did”

“Do you think so?” Sam hesitated, still not comfortable with the idea but knowing Blaine was right about the need to let his parents know they were okay.

“Why not? The boys are great, and I know you miss them”

“Yeah, you’re right” Sam was forced to admit, hating not for the first time how Blaine always seemed to be right. “Okay, how about we do it after breakfast?”

So when the two boys finished their meal, they got dressed and headed to the entrance of the boarding house, where the public phone was located, and Sam immediately dialed his best friend’s number and waited for him to pick it up.

“Hi, bro” Sam greeted him jovially as soon as Sebastian was on the other end of the line.

“Sam, how are you?” Sebastian asked immediately in obvious excitement, not believing his luck that they had just decided to call in that precise moment.

“I’m good, mate, just great” Sam answered warmly.

“And Blaine?”

“He’s great too, as beautiful as ever” Sam joked as he put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders to pull him closer and kiss his temple, eliciting from him one of those shy smiles Sam loved so much. “I don’t think he loves me that much, though, he keeps insisting for me to go back home every few minutes”

“You idiot” Blaine whispered with a playful tickling to Sam’s abdomen, eliciting an adoring smile from his boyfriend.

“Sam, you do have to come back” the urgency in Sebastian’s voice immediately caught Sam’s attention back.

“What? What are you talking about, Seb?” Sam asked, puzzled.

“You haven’t talked to your parents, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

“Something’s happened. Something big”

“Well, say it!”

Blaine remained still and silent, just looking at the expression on his boyfriend’s face, realizing something of great importance was being said by how wide Sam’s eyes had got and how his muscles had tensed at the news.

“What? Are you serious?” Sam was almost yelling, and Blaine was getting more and more worried by the minute. What could be that important as to make Sam react like that? Would his parents be alright? Had something happened to one of his siblings? Were they in serious trouble for running away?

Sam looked at Blaine’s expectant face, as he had no idea of the bombshell that Sebastian had just announced, and he knew he couldn’t just tell him in a rush while talking to Sebastian; after all, it was probably the most important news he had ever received, and he deserved to be told calmly.

“Seb, I’ll call you later, ok?” Sam told him, his eyes not leaving Blaine’s face for a second. “Bye, dude. And thanks”

“What is it?” Blaine asked the second Sam hung up the phone, knowing by Sam’s face that it must be something really important.

“Sweetie, I’ve got to tell you something” Sam told him, breaking the half embrace they were in to be able to properly stand in front of him, but picked up both his hands instead.

“Go ahead, you’re scaring me” Blaine encouraged him, even as a sense of apprehension was already gripping his heart.

“You know my parents reported your father the day we left?” Sam asked, and waited for Blaine to nod before he continued explaining. “Well, it seems it was a good idea after all. Blaine... your guardianship has been removed from your father. You will never have to go back to him”

Sam could see how Blaine was trying to say something but no words came to him, so big was the shock and the relief he felt. Before he could find his voice, his eyes started filling with tears and Sam lost no time in engulfing him in a strong embrace, understanding the rush of emotions on his boyfriend, as sobs starting breaking at last.

“I can’t believe it” Blaine mumbled between sobs at last, his face hidden in the crook of Sam’s neck.

“I know” Sam answered, placing a gentle kiss on the side of Blaine’s face, not so far from tears himself. “He will never hurt you again”


	27. Chapter 27

Blaine found himself sitting on a sofa in the deserted common room without even knowing how he had got there. He was still tightly wrapped in Sam’s arms –in fact, he was practically sitting on Sam’s lap, so close together they were–, so he guessed his boyfriend had taken control of the situation and had gently pushed him there, to take him out of the way of prying eyes and to have him sitting down after the telephone conversation. And that was probably for the best: the news he had received had been so big and surprising that he was still shaking.

Blaine sniffed and breathed deeply a couple of times, trying to compose himself even if Sam hadn’t rushed him one bit and was patiently holding him and stroking the back of his head. Blaine lifted his face from Sam’s shoulder and looked at him, all the while drying his tears with the tip of his fingers.

“Are you okay, love?” Sam answered, softly, as if he didn’t want to scare him.

“Yeah, I just... I’m a bit overwhelmed” Blaine answered with a shy smile.

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t. It’s a huge thing. I’m kind of shaking myself”

“How did it even happen?” Blaine asked, still feeling he shouldn’t dare to believe it in case it happened to be only a dream. “It’s so... unbelievable”

“According to Sebastian, the formal complaint my parents filled along with the testimony of the policemen that saw your bruises and of some neighbors that had heard the fights were very helpful. And if that wasn’t enough, the fact that he hadn’t even reported your disappearance surely was”

“So I won’t ever have to go back to him?” Blaine asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it from the lips of the only person he trusted.

“Never” Sam answered, widely smiling, strengthening his grip on Blaine’s shoulders.

“Then we have to go back” Blaine affirmed resolutely.

“Really? Are you sure of that?”

“What? Of course, that’s why we left, isn’t it? It was the only reason, it doesn’t make sense anymore. We have to go back”

“But are you sure about it? I mean... look how well we are doing. We can make it”

“Of course we can make it, but that’s not the question, is it? If I don’t have to live with my father, there’s no reason for us to be here. For you to be far away from your family anymore”

“How about to be together?” Sam pleaded for Blaine to reconsider his decision.

“We’ll be together there too, right?” Blaine tried to reason with his boyfriend.

“But in which conditions? I guess you’ll have to go to a children’s house, won’t you? What if they send you far away and we can’t even keep going to the same school?” Sam’s fears were quite obvious to Blaine, but he needed to make him understand it was the right decision.

“I’m sure that won’t happen” Blaine answered, trying to convince him. “And even then I’d still be able to come and visit, and you can visit me too, right? It’s not a jail”

“You mean... it’s okay for you to be living together on our own, as adults, and now having to go back to being fucking teenagers, not the owners of our own lives, only seeing each other every now and then? I don’t think I can go back to that” Sam explained, his voice breaking. “Not after everything we’ve lived together”

“No, of course it’s not okay, but it has to be like that” Blaine answered, softly caressing the hair on the back of Sam’s neck, trying to comfort him even if his own heart was breaking too. “Sam, I know it’s going to be difficult. But I promised you and myself that I wouldn’t keep you away from your home for even one second more than necessary. And it isn’t anymore, so we have to go back. I owe you that”

“I don’t like you feeling you’re in debt with me. You aren’t. We are in this together, what happens to you happens to me too, you know. And I know you would have done the same for me”

“That doesn’t mean I stop appreciating how great you’ve been to me all this time. Even if you don’t see it that way, I’ll be forever in your debt, and I’ll make it up to you somehow, however long it takes”

“Just loving me the way you do is enough for me, believe me”

“And I’ll keep loving you the same way even if we are not living together for some time. You know that will never change, don’t you?”

“So we’re really going back, aren’t we?” Sam said resignedly.

“It’s only a few more months, remember?” Blaine tried to make him feel better, but to no avail.

“I’m starting to hate those words” Sam joked, as tears of resignation that he refused to let fall filled his eyes. He knew Blaine was right and they had to go back. But that didn’t mean it was going to be easy.

Blaine smiled sadly at him and embraced him to his chest in a comforting gesture, trying to be strong for him and not letting him see how much his own decision to go back was breaking his heart too. As happy as he felt about not having to live with his father ever again, he felt devastated about ending their big adventure and stop having Sam only to himself in their own home –even if it was just a room in a boarding house–. But he had to be fair, he had to give Sam what he needed, and that was to be at his own home, with his family, with a proper future more according to his young age.

“Everything will be alright” Blaine whispered in Sam’s ear while he kept stroking his hair, and not letting his own tears fall, shutting his eyes with force to avoid them slipping down his cheeks, was one of the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

**********

Blaine sighed as his face came in contact with the window of the train. He couldn’t move if he didn’t want to wake Sam up, as he was softly slumbering on his shoulder, as always getting drowsy on trains. Blaine felt once again hot tears springing to his eyes, making his eyes itch when he didn’t let them fall, stubbornly refusing to let himself fall into despair. He knew they were doing the right thing, and he knew their coming-back was not the end of anything. On the contrary, it was the beginning of a new life together as it always should have been, a normal life for a couple their age, even though he felt as if he was marked by some unknown destiny that would never let him have a normal life. And, by extension, neither would Sam.

Sam. Good, old Sam, resting peacefully at his side, resting his head on Blaine’s shoulder, apparently contented and satisfied. But he wasn’t, Blaine knew better. He knew Sam’s heart was aching as much as his was, and that he would have gladly stayed with him if he had just asked him. Just as he had left everything behind just for him in the first place. That’s why they had to come back: he had done enough, and now it was Blaine’s turn to give him some kind of security, a normality more according to his young age, even if that left Blaine alone in some children’s home away from Sam. Who knew, maybe they would get lucky and he wasn’t sent too far away and he could keep going to the same school. And even if it wasn’t so, it was only for a few months, right?

“You okay?” Sam’s sleepy mumbling startled Blaine, as he had been deeply lost in his thoughts.

“You scared me me” Blaine answered with an embarrassed smile as Sam snuggled even closer to him, his breath tickling Blaine’s neck, and grabbed the brunet’s hand to entwine their fingers together. “I thought you were asleep”

“I was” Sam replied with a yawn, never opening his eyes. “But you didn’t answer my question”

“Which question?” Blaine knew his attempts to evade answering were pretty poor, but he was counting on Sam’s drowsiness to help him.

“I asked if you’re okay” Sam insisted, his words slurred by sleep.

“Of course” Blaine lied, wanting to be true to his promise and be strong for Sam. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. I just had the feeling you were not okay” Sam answered, by then more asleep than awake.

“You must have dreamt it” Blaine answered as he squeezed Sam’s hand, moved by his constant worry about him.

“Just... wake me up if you need me” Sam offered just before his light breathing indicated he had fallen asleep again.

Blaine smiled, feeling a rush of love for this wonderful person sitting next to him who seemed to love him so much in spite of everything he, although involuntarily, had put him through, and softly deposited a kiss on his forehead.

“I love you” Blaine answered as a lonely tear finally escaped his eye, unnoticed.

**********

The travelling didn’t take so long this time, as they took a much direct route back home –no changing between trains, no waiting in small and deserted stations–, so after all day and night at the train they finally got back to Lima.

They decided to walk on their way home from the station, as they had spent enough hours just sitting on the train and they really needed to stretch their legs. So with a slow but firm pace, hand in hand, they started walking towards Sam’s house.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to go to your home?” Blaine asked once again, his voice filled with insecurity.

“Of course it is. My parents will know what to do” Sam answered, patiently, for what it seemed like the hundredth time.

“Maybe, but...” Blaine started, but did not finish the sentence.

“But what?” Sam encouraged him to go on.

“Nothing” Blaine answered with a tiny shake of his head.

Sam sighed and smiled fondly as he let go of Blaine’s hand to put his arm around his waist and bring him to him.

“Are you worried about their reaction?” Sam asked, kindly.

“A little” Blaine admitted, looking down so as to avoid Sam’s gaze. “I’m the one who took their son away, after all”

“How many times?” Sam asked, amused. “It was not you who took me away but my own two feet. Besides, they know me; they know there’s no way to stop me once I make a decision”

“Yeah, I know that too” Blaine added with a little smile, eliciting a chuckle from Sam.

“Then stop worrying about it, love” Sam pleaded, squeezing Blaine’s waist once more before letting go of it to pick up his hand again. “They won’t hold it against you. Besides, where would you go otherwise?”

“I don’t know... the police? They’ll know what to do too”

“Yeah, but... no way I’m letting you go out of my sight until I know exactly what’s going to happen” Sam answered, completely serious this time.

“Thanks” Blaine answered simply, but Sam understood all the emotion behind it.

“Don’t thank me. That’s what boyfriends are for, right?”

“I think you exceeded your duties as a boyfriend a long time ago” Blaine answered, jokingly, although there was complete honesty behind his words.

“Don’t be silly. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, right?”

“I surely do”

“Just as I know you’d do anything for me too, right?”

“You bet I’d do” Blaine promised without hesitation.

“Then we’re even” Sam finished the conversation when he saw Blaine was about to protest. “And that’s the end of it, okay?”

Blaine chuckled at his boyfriend’s antics, but obeyed nonetheless.

“I’m sorry about Mrs. Beiste” Blaine commented, changing subjects. “He was so good to us and I left her in the lurch from one day to the next”

“She understood. She had known there was something odd about us from the beginning and she still took us in, assuming the risk”

“She only wanted to protect us”

“I know, she was great”

“I hope she wasn’t too disappointed at me for leaving in such a hurry”

“Disappointed? Come on, she even gave us food for the trip! Even if she didn’t know anything about the reasons that took us there, she seemed to understand everything pretty well”

“Pity your boss didn’t understand it so well...” Blaine mumbled, and Sam groaned at the memory.

“Yeah, he was not so happy to see me go after taking the trouble of showing me how everything worked on the previous days, or _losing his time_ with me, as he put it. But I think I saw a little smile on his lips after he told me off. He wasn’t so bad either”

They were so engrossed in their conversation they hadn’t realized they had arrived to the door of Sam’s house. His heart started beating faster than just a second ago about the prospect of having to face his parents after all the suffering he undoubtedly had caused them. Sam sighed deeply, and then looked at his boyfriend to get some courage out of him. Blaine just smiled encouragingly at him and nodded, giving him the strength he needed. Sam nodded back and turned again to the door and, without any more hesitation, he rang the bell to his home.

“Sammy!” a little girl, about six years old and as beautiful as her big brother, opened the door and immediately jumped at the blond’s arms at seeing who it was.

“Hey, little one!” Sam happily exclaimed as he tenderly hugged his beloved sister.

“Stevie, come, it’s Sammy!” she yelled even if she still had to let go of her big brother.

Another child, this one a little older, ran towards them at his sister’s call and put his arms around Sam’s waist in a strong embrace.

“I’ve missed you, Sammy” Stevie said, his voice muffled against Sam’s jacket.

“And I’ve missed you too, guys, so much” Sam answered, his voice so full of fondness for those kids that Blaine had to fight against his urges to cry at everything he had deprived Sam of during those weeks.

“You’re not leaving again, are you?” Stacey asked once Sam left her again on the floor.

“No, sweetheart, I came back for good” he answered before turning to his boyfriend again and gently bringing him next to him with an arm around his shoulders so he could introduce him to his siblings. “Guys, this is Blaine”

“Hi” Blaine said in a barely audible voice, suddenly feeling very shy at the possibility of getting judged by those kids that seemed to love Sam so much.

“Hi, Blaine, I’m Stacey” the little girl rushed to introduce herself with a smile and even offered a hand for him to shake in a very adult and adorable way.

“Hi, Stacey” Blaine answered, shaking her hand gratefully, glad and amused to see the little girl seemed to be as kind and trusting as her oldest brother.

“Stevie, don’t you want to say _hi_ too?” Sam asked when he noticed his brother had yet to talk, and he was quizzically looking at Blaine instead.

“Are you the one that took Sam away?” Stevie asked, and even if he seemed more curious than really reproachful, it really helped to make Blaine even more nervous and worried –after all, that reaction was the one he had been expecting from Sam’s family all along.

“He didn’t take me away, Stevie, I was the one who decided to go” Sam quickly admonished his younger brother, squeezing Blaine’s shoulder as a way of letting him know he didn’t agree with the kid at all and that he had his entire support. “Besides he is the one who made me come back, so be nice to him, please”

Stevie didn’t have the time to answer, as a voice behind him interrupted the reunion.

“Who is it, guys?” Mary Evans asked as she approached the door to see who was keeping her children for so long.

To say she was shocked when she saw who was at the door would be an understatement: she was so surprised to see her eldest son and his boyfriend standing there that she seemed not to be able to move. But only a second later, she half laughed, half sobbed and ran to throw her arms around her son, squeezing him tightly to her chest.

“You... ungrateful brat” she scolded him in a broken whisper, but Sam could see through her pretence and the strength of her embrace and knew she was not angry nor resentful, only relieved to have him back.

“I’ve missed you too, mum” Sam answered playfully, although he sounded almost as moved as his mother.

Blaine smiled tenderly at the scene, turning a bit to the side to give mother and son some intimacy. If he hadn’t been completely sure about coming back before, he surely was now: Sam needed his family, and they needed him too. That’s how it was supposed to be, and a stab of guilt found its way into his heart once more at thinking he shouldn’t have taken Sam out of there in the first place. But he was back now, where he belonged, and Blaine wouldn’t have to come back to Don. Everything was alright now, wasn’t it? So why was he feeling so sad?

He didn’t have any more time to dwell on his feelings when he felt Mary’s arms going around him too, squeezing him as tightly as she had held her son just a second ago, accompanied by a comforting hand –no doubt belonging to Sam– resting on the small of his back. And it was such a wonderful feeling that he never wanted that moment to end.

“Welcome home, boys”


	28. Chapter 28

“I’m so sorry about... everything” Blaine lamented once both he and Sam found themselves sitting right in front of the latter’s parents, after his little siblings had been sent to their rooms for some adult conversation. “Please, don’t be angry at Sam, it was all my fault”

“Blaine, we’ve already talked about this” Sam interrupted him, enveloping Blaine’s hand with his own. “In fact, we’ve talked about this a million times. It was me who made the decision to go with you”

“Yes, but if it hadn’t been for me...”

“I will not let you take the blame for everything”

“Boys, can we maybe say something?” Dwight intervened, trying to hide the smile that threatened to break into his lips when the two boys turned their eyes towards him in perfect synchronization, expectant and confused. “There’s no blame to place on anyone. We are not happy about what you did, but we understand. We are not angry. At either one of you”

“Aren’t you?” Blaine asked, hopefully, and Mary rested her hand over Blaine’s free one across the table for a moment to reassure him.

“Of course not, dear. Our heart broke when you had to go back to your father after... after what he did” Mary didn’t mention the beating that Blaine had received, but there was no need as everyone knew perfectly well what she was referring to. “We totally understand you couldn’t stand to be with him anymore”

“And we know our son... He’s too stubborn for his own good sometimes, isn’t he?” Dwight intervened, looking reproachfully at his son, but the fondness on his eyes belied his words.

“Or loyal” Blaine gently contradicted him, eliciting a loving smile from his boyfriend –and from his boyfriend’s mother.

“Whatever it is, we wish you hadn’t gone away like that. But it doesn’t matter anymore, you’re here now and everything’s going to be alright at last” Dwight reassured them.

“Are you both okay?” Mary asked, resting her gaze alternatively between the two boys.

“Yeah, we are mostly okay” Sam answered, shrugging his shoulders. “Just... sad about having to separate”

“Do you... do you know where I’ll be sent to?” Blaine asked, his heart suddenly filled with apprehension, and both he and Sam held their breaths until they knew the answer.

“Oh, honey... I thought we had made it clear. You are not going anywhere, you’re staying here. We’re taking you in” Mary was happy to announce.

“What?” Blaine asked, his eyes wide open with surprise, and he looked at Sam to discover he had the same expression on his face.

“Oh, dear, you thought we were going to send you away?” Mary went on, feeling sorry about the fear and pain both her son and his boyfriend must have gone through at the prospect of Blaine being sent away.

“We thought... he would have to go to a children’s home, or something, and we were only hoping it wouldn’t be too far away” Sam added, not being able to keep the smile out of his lips any longer, as he squeezed Blaine’s hand in his own.

“No, you’re staying here, if you want to. You’re family now” Dwight intervened.

Blaine was so moved by what that family was willing to do for him without even really knowing him that he could hardly find the words to express what he was feeling, but he knew it wasn’t fair they had to take care of him just because his own father hadn’t, and he couldn’t just accept it.

“But you can’t afford to have me here” Blaine lamented, his heart breaking at having to refuse what seemed like the perfect solution.

“We’ll make it, don’t worry” Dwight answered with a reassuring smile.

“No, you’re so generous, but I can’t accept that” Blaine sadly insisted, and Sam couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

“Why can’t you just accept someone doing something for you for once?” Sam pleaded for Blaine to understand he deserved to be helped. “Why can’t you accept you deserve it? Sometimes people just want to help people who need it... especially if they love them”

Blaine took a moment to look at Sam’s eyes, and then he did the same to each one of his parents. He looked like he was about to reject it again, when he finally understood Sam’s words. Even if he always thought he didn’t deserve the good things that happened to him, to Sam’s family it was the contrary: he didn’t deserve all the bad things that had happened to him. And they wanted to help him because they knew how much Sam loved him. Because they thought he was worth it. Because he was part of the family now.

“I will get a job” Blaine offered, implying with his words that he accepted the help, to which Sam could only smile in relief.

“We both will” he added, nodding at his boyfriend.

“We’ll see if that’s necessary. For now you both need to concentrate on your studies. You’ve neglected them long enough, and you’re graduating in just a few months”

“So... that’s it?” Sam asked, with so much hope in his heart that he could hardly stop smiling. “He’s staying here?”

“Well, he’ll have to go to a children’s home for several days until everything is arranged and his guardianship is legally given to us” Dwight answered, and then turned to Blaine. “But then you’ll come back here and all this nightmare will be over, I promise”

Blaine only nodded, too overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events to really know what to say, but it was obvious to everyone all the emotion going on inside of him.

“I will never be able to thank you. You barely know me and...” Blaine wasn’t able to finish the sentence, his voice breaking with emotion, and Sam hurried to put his arm around him to pull him closer and rest his forehead against Blaine’s temple in a comforting gesture.

“We know enough” Mary answered, finding it difficult herself not to burst crying at the poor boy’s gratitude and modesty. Yes, she really knew little about him, but there was something in him that made her trust him completely and want him to remain close to her son. How perfect they were for each other would be easy to see even for someone who didn’t know them. And even if they all had to tighten their belt for a while, she knew it would be worth it. That boy needed a family and that’s what they were going to be for him.

**********

After Blaine and Sam had explained the latter’s parents a bit of their adventure –deciding to leave out the harder parts so as not to worry them, like when Sam had almost fought that man at the cafe or how down they had felt sometimes–, Dwight called social services to inform them of Blaine’s comeback, and how they were ready to follow the necessary procedure until Blaine became a part of their family. It was not even an hour later that a social worker appeared, accompanied by a police officer, so they could escort Blaine to the children’s house he would be staying in until everything was arranged.

“You just have to take some clothing and whatever personal stuff you think you might need, but you don’t need to take everything with you. After all, we are hoping you’ll be coming back soon, aren’t we?” the social worker explained, kindly.

“How soon?” Blaine asked shyly, trying not to feel too scared about the whole thing.

“Hopefully it will only be three or four days. A week at the most”

“Can I take my phone?” Blaine asked, needing the security of knowing he would have a way to keep in contact with his boyfriend even if they were separated, as he knew it would be the only way he would not fall into despair.

“Yes, of course. It’s not a prison, you know?” the woman spoke as reassuringly as she could, knowing how scary these situations tended to be.

“I have a problem. I still have a few things in my father’s house. My phone, basically, and some other stuff. I’d like to have them back”

“Of course, we were guessing you would want that, that’s why the officer came with me. We’ll go right away, just before going to the center”

“Thanks”

“I’m coming too” Sam intervened, confidently.

“I’m sorry, but he’s under state’s custody now, and...” the social worker tried to explain, but Sam didn’t let her finish.

“Just to his father’s house” he pleaded. “Then I promise I won’t so much as open my mouth about it. But I need to be with him when he has to see that… man again”

“Sam, I’ll be okay” Blaine tried to reason with him, but Sam wouldn’t hear of it.

“We’ve not come such a long way for me to leave you on your own now. It won’t be easy for you, I just know it, and I want to be there for you, just in case you need me”

Blaine smiled at him tenderly as he brushed his knuckles across Sam’s cheek in a grateful gesture, just before he turned to the social worker with a pleading look in his eyes.

“Okay, I guess it can’t do any harm. But just to his father’s house” he told Sam in a kind warning.

“I promise” Sam answered as he stood up and picked Blaine’s hand in his to make him follow.

**********

The police officer was the one who rang the bell to Don’s flat. The man took his time to answer the door, to the point they were about to leave when he finally opened it. His eyes, moving slowly due to the amount of alcohol in his system, jumped from one person to the other until they stopped at his son’s face and he wickedly grinned at him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked his son, not even seeming to register the fact he was accompanied by three other people, including a police officer.

“Mr. Anderson” the policeman intervened, trying to save the kid from having to talk to that man if he didn’t want to. “I’m here to accompany the boy to get his things out of your place and make sure nothing happens. You can deny us the access to your home, of course, but then we’ll get a court order and we’ll do it anyway. It would be easier if you let us do it now and all this matter is over and done with once and for all”

The man seemed to weigh the policeman’s words for a long time, and the others couldn’t decide if it was because it was a hard decision to make or because he was so drunk his thinking was too slow to really comprehend what he’d been told. After a whole minute in silence, though, he opened the door widely and moved to the side to let them enter, never taking his eyes off his son. Sam, however, made sure to put himself between Blaine and the man when they crossed the threshold, not wanting him to be at arm’s length from his father under any circumstance.

Blaine immediately moved to his former bedroom, which he quickly saw hadn’t been touched at all from the thin layer of dust which was already covering the furniture. Blaine took a quick look around and he swiftly produced a plastic bag from his pocket that Mary had given him and started filling it with some things he had left behind on his escape, specially making sure to pick up the phone he had left on his bed.

“So you’re here again” his father spoke from the door to the room, making all the four people in the room turn to him.

“I just came for my things” Blaine mumbled as an answer, not really wanting to get into a conversation with that man.

“Your things?” his father asked with an ironic chuckle.

“Yes, my things. Don’t worry, I’ll only take what I already had previous to coming here. I don’t want anything coming from you, though I pretty much doubt there’s a lot of that”

“Is that the guy you were shagging?” his father asked pointing at Sam with a move of his head, his voice full of venom, and Sam shuddered at all the hate in that man, marveling at the differences between father and son: where Blaine was all love and kindness, his father was wickedness and hate. Sam doubted he had ever known two people more different from each other.

“Yes, that’s the one” Blaine answered, and Sam almost smiled at the pride he could feel on Blaine’s voice when acknowledging his relationship with him.

“Some nerve you have to come back with him” Don went on.

“I’m not coming back and you know it” Blaine answered, already having packed all he needed and wanted and going out of the room without even looking at his father.

“So you’re just going with him”

“Yes” Blaine answered confidently, almost defiantly, and this time it was Sam who felt a sense of pride that Blaine would so openly admit their relationship to his father, even after all the trouble it had brought him.

“I can’t believe it” the man spoke, obviously repulsed at the idea.

“Why do you care so much?” Blaine asked angrily, finally turning back to look at his father, trying to understand the working of his mind.

“No son of mine will...” Don started, but Blaine interrupted him immediately.

“Stop that right now and don’t pretend you’ve acted like a father to me” Blaine was so harsh with his words that for once he left his father speechless. “Just let me ask you something: how long did it take you to realize I was gone?”

Blaine noticed how his father was not going to answer, and he nodded in understanding with a humorless laugh. His father then grinned insolently, trying to gain some time to think of a good answer, but Blaine didn’t even give him the option.

“What a shame of a father” Blaine told him before he could stop himself, and he noticed how his words infuriated the man once again, to the point he forgot they were not alone and roughly grabbed the front of Blaine’s collar to violently push him against the nearest wall.

“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?” he yelled at Blaine’s face, all the while shaking him to reinforce his words.

Sam felt a fury burning in his guts like he had never felt before at being the witness of what his boyfriend had been going through for the past year. If that man did that in their presence, what would he be able to do if Blaine and him had been alone? He didn’t want to complicate things even further, though, so with a lot of willpower he stifled his desire to punch the lights out of him –he knew Blaine would never approve it, and the last thing he wanted to do was to upset Blaine any further–, so he contented himself with putting his hands over the man’s arms to try and remove them from his boyfriend’s body.

“Don’t touch him” Sam angrily warned the man, though he needed not to worry, as the policeman hurried to put an end to the situation.

“You will let go of him immediately” he ordered threateningly, all the while grabbing the man’s arms and taking him away from his son.

Sam took the chance to put his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders in a protective and comforting gesture, but he was surprised and glad to discover there was no trace of fear in Blaine’s face: the time to be afraid of his father had passed, Sam knew, and all Blaine wanted now is to put some distance between them forever and forget about him at Sam’s side. And Sam couldn’t feel prouder of him.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stay away from him” the man answered, unceremoniously slapping the policeman’s arm from him. “But you can see he only wanted to provoke me, coming here with that... boy”

“He came with me because he’s my boyfriend and cares about me” Blaine explained, even if he knew his father didn’t deserve it.

“Your boyfriend! Don’t say it as if it was something normal, you damned faggot... Congratulations, it was the only thing left for you to be a complete failure of a son” the man spat at his son’s direction, his voice full of hate, but to his surprise he only managed to elicit a smile of Blaine.

“If you think that about me, then I know I’m doing things right. Goodbye, _father_ ” Blaine said confidently, and then let himself be gently pushed to the door by a hand on the small of his back, undoubtedly belonging to his boyfriend. And never again did he look back.

**********

As they made it again to the street, Sam knew he had to keep his promise and say goodbye without making a fuss about it. The social worker, though, was kind enough to move a few steps away from them to give them the chance to say goodbye before she had to accompany Blaine to what would be his home for the next few days.

“I’ll see you soon” Blaine promised as he stood in front of his boyfriend and looked at him with a serene expression on his face that helped Sam feel better.

“Very soon” Sam added.

“This is not an ending”

“Not at all. It’s just a beginning. The beginning of something wonderful”

“I can’t wait for it to start” Blaine confessed with a hopeful smile, as Sam cupped his cheeks and joined their foreheads together. “Will you be alright?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” Sam replied with a fond chuckle.

“I’ll be okay, because I’ll know what’s waiting for me outside”

“Then I’ll be okay too”

“I forbid you to feel sad, okay?” Blaine joked, the wide smile never leaving his face.

“I won’t” Sam promised. “But am I allowed to miss you, even if it’s just a little?”

“Okay, just a little” Blaine conceded with a giggle, and then he captured Sam’s lips in a slow and loving kiss. “I love you”

“I love you too” Sam answered, giving Blaine a kiss of his own.

“I’ll text you as soon as I can”

“You better do”

Blaine grabbed Sam’s hands and held them in his own for a second before he brought one of them to his lips and kissed it, and then he let go and started moving away from his boyfriend, walking backwards, still looking at him.

“I’m not saying goodbye” Blaine announced with a smile, that Sam couldn’t help but to reciprocate.

“Good” he answered with a chuckle, and with a wink of his eye directed at his boyfriend, Blaine finally turned around and walked away with the social worker and the police officer, leaving Sam standing alone. Sam grinned once again to himself when he thought about his boyfriend’s beautiful smile and never-ending courage, and then started walking back home. Surprisingly enough, even for him, he wasn’t feeling sad or lonely, or anything that was not good, ‘cause in his heart there was only room for all the love and the hope he was feeling. It was a matter of just a couple of days. A couple of days in which they even would be able to keep in contact through their phones. And then Blaine would be at his side forever.

How could he be anything else than ecstatic?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two more chapters left!


	29. Chapter 29

Sam sighed as he lied down on his bed after lunch, bored. He had promised Blaine he wouldn’t be sad, and he would never ever break a promise to him. But he was already missing him, and continually wondering how he was, if the place was okay, if people were kind to him... If only he would text him soon...

But wait a minute... how was he going to receive a text from Blaine if he didn’t have his phone back? A smile broke on his lips when he realized his phone was on the hands on the second person he wished to see the most right now: his best friend. Maybe he could call Sebastian and ask him to visit (and to bring him his phone back, of course). So after asking his mother for her phone just for a second, he returned to his room and quickly dialed Sebastian’s number, suddenly anxious to hear him.

“Hey, Seb” Sam greeted him just as soon as Sebastian was at the other end of the line.

“Hey, Sam” Sebastian answered jovially. “I’m so glad to hear you! How are you doing?”

“Quite well, to tell you the truth”     

“And what do I owe the honor of your call?”

“Oh, as it happens I would like my phone back” Sam jokingly announced, trying hard not to laugh at the reaction he knew was going to get from his friend.

“Oh, really?” Sebastian answered, kind of surprised. “And how can I give it to you?”

“Maybe you could come to my house and hand it to me personally?”

“What?” Sebastian asked, not really understanding what Sam was implying. “What do you mean?”

“I know I’ve been away for some time, but you still remember where I live, don’t you?” Sam asked with a chuckle.

“Wait a minute. You mean... Are you back?”

“Yes, I’m back”

“Oh my God!” Sebastian exclaimed, happily. “Since when? And how come you didn’t tell me sooner?”

“I just arrived this morning”

“And... Blaine?” Sebastian was almost afraid to ask, in case the answer was not a good one.

“Could you come over? It’s too complicated to explain everything over the phone”

“Yes, of course. I’ll be there in like ten minutes”

“I’ll call the boys too. See you in a while, dude”

**********

“So where’s Blaine?” Puck asked, once the proper greetings and hugs had been delivered and the four boys were sitting in different places around Sam’s room.

“You guys didn’t break up, did you?” Sebastian asked, almost afraid to do it.

“No!” Sam immediately answered, almost offended at the idea. “Of course not!”

“Good” Mike intervened with a relieved sigh. “Otherwise I don’t think I’d ever believe in love again. If you two can’t make it, no one can”

“I was afraid cohabitation had been harder than you expected” Puck added, only half joking.

“Cohabitation was perfect, to tell you the truth” Sam explained with a smile full of longing. “Even with all the hard circumstances around us, I’d never been so happy in my life”

“Then what happened? Where the hell is Blaine?” Sebastian asked, still a bit worried about not seeing their friend there.

“He had to go to into care, he’s in a children’s home...”

“What? What the hell is wrong with this society?” Puck asked, surprising everyone with his unusual seriousness. “Hasn’t he suffered enough? He should be...”

“Puck, calm down” Sam asked him softly, feeling a nice warmth in his heart at seeing how much his friends cared about Blaine. “You didn’t let me finish. He’s in a children’s home until everything is properly arranged. My parents are taking him in. He’s going to live here with us”

“What?” Sebastian asked, astonished at the revelation, but the smile that wouldn’t leave his best friend’s lips for a second told him it was no joke. “I can’t believe it”

“I know, I can hardly believe it myself. After everything he’s gone through... there isn’t a better way to put an end to all that, is there?”

“You bet there isn’t!” Mike exclaimed, hurrying to embrace Sam strongly. “Congrats, mate”

“Yeah, you’re practically married now” Puck joked, squeezing Sam’s shoulder.

“I know you’d like me to freak out about your comment, but... I really like the idea” Sam explained, smiling embarrassedly.

“Okay, guys, this is more serious than we thought” Puck joked, making the other three laugh wholeheartedly. “I think we’ve definitely lost him”

“Yeah, and he’s not even regretting it” Sebastian added.

“I wish we could have seen Blaine before he had to go again, though” Mike lamented, all jokes aside.

“I know, boys. He was dying to see you too, but there was no time” Sam answered.

“Has he said anything about how’s he doing there?” Sebastian asked.

“Heck, how could I forget? Seb, did you bring me my phone?” Sam asked, suddenly impatient.

“Oh, yes, of course, I have it right here” Sebastian answered, already handing it to him, and Sam didn’t lose any time to switch it on.

“I have a message from him already” Sam said after a second of checking his phone. “He says the place is okay and people are being very nice to him”

“I’m glad to hear that” Mike said, nodding in satisfaction.

“I’m going to answer him. Do you want me to send him your regards?” Sam announced.

“Why don’t you call him?” Puck suggested, and Sam looked at him, as if surprised at the idea.

“I really hadn’t thought about that... You think he’ll be able to talk?”

“Why not?” Sebastian intervened, already excited about the idea of being able to talk to Blaine. “And if he isn’t, he just won’t pick it up, no harm done”

“You know what? I guess you’re right!” Sam replied jovially, already pressing on Blaine’s speed-call button. “I’ll call him right away!”

“Hey!” Blaine answered, his voice full of happiness at hearing his boyfriend’s voice, after just a second of his phone ringing.

“Hey, love” Sam immediately replied, with so much adoration in his voice that Puck pretended to throw up in disgust, until Mike cuffed him around his head.

“I’m so glad you called!” Blaine said in a rush, apparently too excited to talk at a normal speed. “I was hoping you’d have your phone back by now”

“Yeah, Sebastian brought it back to me. And by the way, there’s some people here who just want to say hello to you” Sam explained with a cheerful smile, knowing how happy hearing their friends was going to make his boyfriend.

“Really? I have a slight suspicion about who could it be” Blaine joked.

“I’ll put you on speaker, okay?”

“Okay!”

“Hi, Blaine!” Mike greeted him loudly, even before Sam had placed the phone on the bed for them to talk.

“Hi, Blaine!” Puck and Sebastian repeated.

“Hi, boys!” Blaine answered with a lot of emotion. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you!”

“Not as happy as we are of knowing you’ll be here with us soon” Sebastian told him, completely honest.

“And forever” Mike added.

“That’s a nice word” Blaine said, his voice full of hope.

“It sure is” Sam answered, nodding, even though he knew his boyfriend couldn’t see him.

“We’ve missed you, Blaine” Mike, always the sentimental one, couldn’t help but confess.

“I miss you like crazy too, guys. I hope you haven’t replaced me in the band just yet”

“We were going to, but we couldn’t find any singers who were able to stop a whole disco just to look at them, as you do” Puck joked.

“How is school? Any love interests around?” Blaine asked, wanting to know everything about them, as he was missing them so much.

“Blaine, it might have felt like a lifetime to you, but you do realize you’ve only been gone for a couple of weeks, don’t you?” Sebastian asked, laughing.

“Really? It sure felt like more” Blaine answered, equally joking.

“Okay, guys, enough nonsense” Sam reprimanded them teasingly. “How is it going, love?”

“Are you worrying already?” Blaine asked, jokingly.

“As if you needed to ask...” Sam answered.

“Well, then don’t. I’m okay. Everybody’s being so nice to me...”

“I’m glad to hear that, but I hope once the time for coming back home comes you don’t decide to just stay there”

“Never” Blaine answered, more seriously than he had intended, and Sam felt reassured –not that he needed it– that Blaine would never replace his company. “I should get going. They want to officially introduce me to everyone here, and I don’t want to keep them waiting”

“Then go, love. Just text me before you go to bed, okay?” Sam pleaded.

“Of course, I wouldn’t dream not to do it” Blaine answered, lovingly.

“Just... take care, okay?”

“I will. I love you”

“We love you too!” Puck teasingly intervened, and of course Mike punished him once again for his insolence.

“Very funny, Puck” Blaine reprimanded, but by the tone of his voice it was clear that he was laughing. “I hope Mike gave you what you deserve”

“You bet I did, Blaine!” Mike proudly confirmed.

“May I tell my boyfriend now I love him without any more interruption?” Blaine joked.

“Yes, you may” Puck conceded.

“Well, thanks. Sam?”

“Yes, love?” Sam answered, laughing at the interaction.

“You know I love you, right?”

“Not more than I love you”

“Was that I heard another slap from Mike?” Blaine asked, amused.

“Yes, Puck was making some faces at the obvious love we have for each other” Sam teasingly answered, and was delighted to hear Blaine’s laugh.

“Okay, boys, don’t get jealous. I love you all” Blaine added.

“We love you too, Blainey!” Mike yelled, as the others laughed.

“See you very very soon, okay?” Blaine promised. “Bye, boys. Bye, Sam”

“Bye, love” Sam answered with a smile. He couldn’t wait for all of them to be together again.

**********

Sebastian nudged Sam awake from his daydreaming for what it felt like the thirtieth time that morning. No matter how much he tried, Sam’s gaze would slip away from the class and towards the horizon, through the window, to the exterior world where he knew Blaine was, somewhere. Five days had passed and, apart from their frequent texting and a couple of furtive calls, there was no news about him, not anything that made them hope the moment to be together again was closer than before. The social worker had said it would take a week at the most for everything to be arranged, but still no further word had come from her.

Sam had promised Blaine he wouldn’t get sad, and he had succeeded for most of the time at the prospect of having him in his arms again soon, this time forever. But after living together for those wonderful days, five days without seeing him, without admiring his beautiful smile, without caressing his soft and adorable curls, without getting lost in his huge golden eyes, without listening to his childlike laugh, were starting to become too much.

“You know what?” Sebastian whispered in Sam’s ear, sitting at his side. “I miss Blaine”

“Do you?” Sam asked, surprised at Sebastian’s sudden statement.

“Yes, because without him here, I’m the one in charge of keeping you concentrated, and I tell you, it’s no easy job! I don’t know how he puts up with you”

“I don’t know either” Sam answered with a fond smile, thinking about the patience with which Blaine always helped him with his studies. Okay, just another more thing to miss about him, great.

 “Okay, you have to cheer up, mate! I know you miss him, but Blaine’s going to be here soon enough, and this time it’ll be forever”

A small smile broke in Sam’s lips at the words ‘Blaine’ and ‘forever’ in the same sentence and was about to answer when the recess bell sounded and Sebastian and the others took him outside to have some fresh air without him being able to object.

“See? I told you being outside would make you feel better” Sebastian said, squeezing Sam’s shoulders as they sat on the main stairs.

“And make you stop thinking about you-know-who for a while” Puck joked.

“Yeah, like it wasn’t him who always insisted for us to go outside and have some fresh air, remember?” Sam answered, smiling when he noticed the guilty gazes on his friends.

“Well, it’s obvious we didn’t remember...” Puck somehow apologized.

“But hey, boys, it’s okay” Sam reassured them. “I’m okay, really. Just... dying to see him again”

“And you’ll do that soon enough” Sebastian offered, trying to comfort his best friend.

“Sam, isn’t that your mother’s car?” Mike suddenly announced, pointing to a car that had parked just a few feet away from them and getting everyone’s attention.

“It sure is. I wonder what...” Sam started, but then he suddenly stopped, knowing there was no obvious reason for his mother to be there and getting instantly worried. She had never ever come in the middle of the day, and for her to be there at that time of the morning, it could only be bad news, Sam thought as he practically ran towards the car.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Sam asked in a rush as his mother got out of the car. “Did something happen? It is about Blaine, isn’t it?”

Sam’s mother smiled indulgently at him as she took her sunglasses off. She understood his son’s feelings of anxiousness very well, but she also knew she was going to make immensely happy very soon.

“Yes, something happened and yes, it’s about Blaine, but it’s not what you think” she answered as the noise of another car door opening interrupted her.

Sam couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his boyfriend, looking as beautiful as ever, getting out of his mother’s car, a smile so wide on his lips that it seemed to have no end.

“Hey, you” Blaine greeted his boyfriend teasingly, seeing as he remained unmoving, his mouth open in surprise.

Sam, getting out of his stupor thanks to Blaine’s voice, covered the small distance still separating them and hugged him so strongly that for a moment he feared he was going to crush him, but Blaine didn’t seem to mind at all, judging by the strength of his own embrace.

“You’re here” Sam whispered in Blaine’s ear, stating the obvious and making Blaine chuckle affectionately.

“I am here” he repeated, breaking the embrace a little so he could look at his boyfriend’s face.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked, wanting to make sure, but the smile that refused to leave Blaine’s face even for a second was a clear statement that he really was.

“I’m finally back and in your arms. How do you think I am?” Blaine answered, laughing excitedly.

“I can’t believe you’re here” Sam repeated, cupping Blaine’s cheeks to look intently into his eyes, as if he really was doubting his own eyes or he was afraid the curly-haired boy was going to disappear.

“Well, it’s true” Blaine assured him, before he was engulfed in another bone-crushing embrace.

“I’m not letting go of you ever again” Sam promised, his breathing tickling Blaine’s neck.

“Fine by me” Blaine answered with a chuckle.

Mary couldn’t help but smile fondly at the scene, as she stood a few feet away from them. She had known how happy his son was going to be that day as soon as she had received the call that informed that everything had been taken care of and that Blaine’s guardianship was finally hers and her husband’s. If she hadn’t been already sure that taking Blaine in was a good idea, seeing how happy he made his son was encouragement enough. Those two were made for each other, she could see, and she was sure that Blaine was the best possible partner her son could find.

“Well, son, we only passed by to give you a surprise” Mary gently interrupted the couple, and they broke the embrace to listen to her –though Sam’s arm remained around his boyfriend’s shoulders, unable to not be in direct contact with him after so many days apart. “But now you have to go back to your classes while Blaine and I get home so he can get properly accommodated”

“May I stay here?” Blaine politely asked Mary for her permission.

“I thought you would want to unpack and accommodate first” she answered, but she could clearly see what he wanted to do first.

“I could do that later, couldn’t I? I’ve lost too many days already” Blaine answered with all the respect and gentleness in the world, and although it seemed he was talking about school, she well knew he was talking about being at her son’s side.

“Of course, dear. I’ll see you at home later, okay?” she answered, choosing her words carefully to make sure they made him feel as a part of the family.

“Thank you” Blaine gratefully smiled at her even if Sam was already picking up his hand to take him to the school building and to their friends.

Just as they crossed the garden, the boys, that had been standing on top of the entrance stairs intently watching the scene unfolding in front of them, started running towards them when they saw Blaine was approaching with Sam, as if they were doing a race to reach him first. At the end it was Mike who won, and he lifted Blaine from the floor with his embrace, immensely happy to see him, and both of them were engulfed in their hug by Puck and Sebastian’s arms, all of them wanting to welcome Blaine into their own little universe again.

Sam reached with his hand over the mêlée of arms that were the boys and rested it at the top of Blaine’s head, getting his attention immediately. Blaine smiled at him with a happiness in his eyes Sam had not seen before. And Sam understood why: because it was the first time that EVERYTHING was alright, and that his life at last felt complete. He reciprocated that smile and nodded at him, sending a silent kiss in his direction. He was back. And this time, he was back to stay.


	30. Epilogue

_Nine months later_

“I can’t believe we are going to spend our first night in our own home” Sam announced with a satisfied smile, as he squeezed Blaine’s hand in his while they went up the stairs to the little flat they had rented to live together and which was to be their first real home together. They had been living in Sam’s family house until then, and had been a wonderful time. But Blaine wasn’t comfortable with the idea of being a burden to the people who had done so much for him, so he hadn’t wanted to stay for much more than absolutely necessary. And of course Sam had tagged along with him –there was no way he was going to see him go and do nothing about it, and he was incredibly excited anyway about sharing a home with Blaine and feeling like adults again, after having experienced it only a few months ago–. As soon as their senior  year finished, each one of them had gotten a full-time job –Sam in a little supermarket, Blaine in a cafe– and they had taken five extra months with the Evans to get some earnings to be able to survive on their own.

“Yeah, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” Blaine answered, giving his boyfriend an impossibly wide smile, and Sam knew right there and then that they were doing things right. Okay, the place was incredibly small. It didn’t even have any rooms, so they would get to cook, eat, watch TV and sleep all in the same place, but it was all they could afford right now with their short salaries. But judging by how happy they were feeling, they knew they didn’t really need anything else.

“You look so... happy today” Sam observed with a smile, delighted to see no trace of any negative emotion in his boyfriend’s eyes, and he pulled him to him to kiss his cheek.

“That’s because I couldn’t be happier. I don’t mean that I was not okay with your parents, don’t get me wrong, please” Blaine tried to apologize, not wanting for Sam to think he was not grateful to his family when the truth was he felt he owed them his life.

“I know, love” Sam answered with a chuckle, perfectly understanding what Blaine meant.

“It’s just... this is just ours, you know?”

“It is. We only depend on ourselves now. We are adults” Sam replied, only half joking.

“I know. It’s like when we went away those days last winter. Only that now it’s not a room on a boarding house, but our real home”

“Yeah” Sam nodded, feeling just as happy as his boyfriend did. “Though, to be honest, I think our flat is about the same size about that room”

Blaine let out an unreserved laugh at that, and stopped their ascent to surround Sam’s neck with his arm in a pretence of chocking him, as he ruffled his hair –something he knew Sam only pretended to hate.

“Ok, don’t ruin it, you idiot!” Blaine mockingly protested.

“Don’t do that!” Sam teasingly reprimanded him as he took Blaine’s arms and forced them behind his back, just as if he was going to handcuff him, and made him walk in front of him.

“Am I your prisoner now?” Blaine asked, amusedly.

“You are if you don’t know how to behave” Sam answered with mocking severity.

“Will you let go of me if I kiss you?” Blaine pouted, looking back at Sam’s face over his own shoulder.

“Do you think I am that easy?” Sam asked, feigning to be offended by it.

“Absolutely” Blaine mischievously answered.

“You know me so well...” Sam answered, turning Blaine around and not losing a second to capture his lips in a passionate kiss while pushing him against the wall, even if Blaine’s arms were still in Sam’s hands.

“We had a deal: you have to let go of me now” Blaine reminded him, though to no avail.

“You really want me to?” Sam asked him seductively, not letting go of him nor moving his face an inch away of Blaine’s.

“Now that you mention it, I like it a little too much to be helplessly caught between you and the wall” Blaine answered huskily, teasing and brushing Sam’s lips with his own and gently biting his bottom one.

“Okay, let’s stop that right now” Sam suggested with a fond smile, knowing that if Blaine kept teasing him like that, soon he would lose all control. “In case you haven’t noticed, we are in the middle of a stairway”

“So?”

“So if we don’t stop now, I might not be able to stop at all” Sam confessed unashamedly, making Blaine chuckle. “And it’s not exactly the first impression I want for our neighbors to have of us”

“Which proves my point you really are that easy”

“I never said I wasn’t. Now up you go!” Sam ordered, with a gentle slap to Blaine’s rear to get him moving up the stairs again, just as Sam’s phone beeped with a text message.

“Who is it?” Blaine asked as they continued climbing the stairs.

“I think my parents are already missing us” Sam answered when he finished reading the message.

“Are they? We’ve only been really gone for like two hours”

“I know, but they’re already inviting us for lunch tomorrow. Mum even offered to cook your favorite plate! Can you believe that? Either she prefers for you to go over me or she knows she only needs to convince you and then I’ll be following you like a puppy” Sam explained in mocking indignation.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you know your mother spoils you to no end” Blaine argued with a smile.

“Not as much as you lately! All you have to do is throw one of those enchanting smiles of yours and you’ll have her wrapped around your little finger! I tell you, my parents love you more than they love me!” Sam teasingly protested as they finally arrived to their door.

“That’s not true!” Blaine replied amusedly.

“Hey, it’s okay. I love you more than I love me too”

“Aww, come here, you idiot” Blaine smiled goofily as he surrounded Sam’s waist with his arms to bring him to him and kiss his lips.

“Hey, I tell you that I love you and all I get is insults?” Sam joked.

“I’m pretty sure you got a kiss too!” Blaine protested, playfully slapping his boyfriend’s arm.

“Oh, right” Sam chuckled as Blaine found the key on his pocket and unlocked the door. “Hey, I was thinking we haven’t had a proper inauguration to our new home”

“If you mean what I think you mean, I’ll have to remind you that Sebastian and the boys will be here any minute”

“I’m not talking about that, you pervert. I just meant... this” Sam said as he suddenly put one arm behind Blaine’s back. “It’s going to be our first night in our new home, so we are officially moved. I’m crossing the threshold with you”

“Yeah, as if you were going to be able to lift me just like that” Blaine laughed.

“Excuse me? I’ll have you know I’m very strong” Sam assured him, and without letting him more time to complain he put his other arm behind Blaine’s knees and lifted him as if he weighted nothing.

“Wow, you really are strong!” Blaine laughed as Sam started walking inside.

“I told you” Sam answered without the slightest hint of stress in his voice at the effort. “Although the fact that you’re so tinny probably helps”

“Hey! You hadn’t complained about my height before!” Blaine joked, trying to hide his amusement and delight at Sam’s antics, letting himself be carried as he put his arms around his boyfriend’s neck.

“And I’m not complaining now, I love that you’re small so I can manhandle you as I please” Sam answered, only half joking, as he captured Blaine’s lips in a loving kiss, not stopping his advance until they reached their bed –or, more accurately, the mattress on top of a wooden plank they would be using as a bed– and he let Blaine fall on it, throwing himself at his side.

“Thank you for the ride, love. I always knew you were a romantic” Blaine told him adoringly, stretching his neck enough for another kiss. “That’s why I love you so much”

“I think you’re quite a romantic yourself” Sam joked as he rested his head next to Blaine’s, facing him.

 “Hey, that’s my side of the bed” Blaine pointed out, all of a sudden, when he realized the position in which they were laying on the mattress.

“Since when? Whenever we’ve slept together, I’ve always been on this side” Sam argued.

“But I’ve always been next to the window” Blaine pouted, making it harder for Sam not to cave in, yet he still resisted.

“So?”

“You know I need the window, otherwise I just feel trapped whenever I can’t sleep”

“But this is my side of the bed!” Sam whined.

“You know what? You’re right, forget it. You pick. I’m just happy getting to sleep with you every night, it doesn’t matter in which side I do it” Blaine explained with a smile, and then he rolled over on his side and cuddled closer to Sam’s body.

They remained in silence for a few seconds, their faces merely inches apart, looking intently at each other, when suddenly Sam groaned.

“Okay, now I feel bad” he confessed.

“Why should you?” Blaine asked, surprised.

“Because here I am, arguing about the side of the bed, and then you tell me something like that and now I feel like a selfish idiot”

“Then don’t, it’s okay”

“You know what? You take this side of the bed” Sam offered.

“No, you were right, it’s always been your side” Blaine tried to refuse his offer.

“Yes, but I know having a window near is important to you” Sam insisted.

“It doesn’t matter, I want you to have your favorite side of the bed”

“I insist, my reasons are so much more whimsical than yours”

“Are you sure?” Blaine asked, a smile on his lips at his partner’s kindness.

“Of course” Sam answered, nodding confidently.

“You sure you don’t mind?” Blaine insisted.

“No, I just want you to be okay”

“You’re the best” Blaine told him, lifting his head a little to give Sam a little peck on the lips and then he jumped over him to fall on the other side of the bed with a satisfied grin.

Sam moved to lay on his back and turned his face towards Blaine, not missing the smile on his boyfriend’s lips. They remained in silence for a few more seconds, until Sam’s voice broke it once again.

“You manipulated me so I would willingly let you have my side, didn’t you?”

“What?” Blaine replied in mock outrage. “How can you think that?”

“You so did!” Sam exclaimed, having confirmed his worst suspicions. “You’re unbelievable!”

“I’m hurt you think that of me” Blaine pouted, feigning being deeply hurt by Sam’s accusations, but he was unable to not burst out laughing when Sam suddenly jumped on him to straddle his hips and started tickling him mercilessly.

“I’m having my side back” Sam threatened, as he imparted his punishment.

“You can’t, we sealed our deal with a kiss” Blaine was able to say amongst all the laughing.

“You bastard” Sam pointed out with a laugh, just before leaning down to kiss Blaine’s lips for a long moment and then he fell down next to him to lay on his side looking at him, his elbow on the mattress and his head resting on his hand.

Blaine couldn’t help but grin at their whole intercourse, feeling suddenly so happy and amazed that this was going to be his life from now on: being next to someone who cared that much about his happiness and wellbeing, to whom he’d always come first. His heart bursting with love, he couldn’t stop looking at his boyfriend’s eyes, so close to his, his gaze so full of love and adoration that Sam almost felt overwhelmed by it.

“Don’t give me that puppy look, I already said you could have it and I never break a promise” Sam joked to break a little of the emotion of the moment –after all, their friends were coming over and he didn’t feel like crying in front of them.

“You’re the best” Blaine answered, lifting his face to plant a wet kiss on Sam’s cheek.

“Get off me, you manipulative bastard” Sam teasingly pushed Blaine away from him with a chuckle. “You always have me doing what you want without me even realizing it”

Blaine obeyed and returned fully to his side to lay on his back, a small smile still present on his lips. As Sam laid looking at him, though, he noticed how the smile slowly began disappearing to be replaced but a slightly somber expression that surprised him for his unexpectedness.

“Is everything okay?” Sam gently asked.

“Yeah” Blaine answered, smiling again to prove his point.

“You know I was only joking when I called you _manipulative bastard_ , don’t you?”

“Of course I do, you silly” Blaine answered with a fond chuckle. “Besides, I am a manipulative bastard”

“Then what is it?”

“I have to confess something to you” Blaine told him, and Sam could see some sadness dampening their light mood from seconds ago.

“What? Did you cheat on me?” Sam joked, knowing Blaine would never do something like that, only trying to get him to relax through his poor attempts of humor.

“Don’t be an idiot! I could never want anybody else” Blaine answered a little too seriously, and Sam gently played with the hair falling in Blaine’s forehead in an apologizing gesture.

“I know you wouldn’t do it, I was only joking. So what do you have to confess?”

“I... I feel kind of guilty about this”

“About what?”

“About... dragging you along into this craziness”

“What craziness?”

“Us. This” Blaine gestured around them, and Sam wasn’t sure he understood anything.

“Sweetie, I swear I’m not following you”

“If you hadn’t met me, you wouldn’t be struggling to pay for an apartment at your age, would you? Having to work fulltime, with no chance of going to College... You would still be at your parents’ and would have a chance for a proper future” Blaine told him, his voice shaking almost imperceptibly, his gaze so intense that Sam felt his heart breaking at the emotion in it. “You’re right, you know. What if I got you to do all this without you even realizing it and it’s not what you really wanted?”

“Ok, let’s set things straight here” Sam told him with feigned severity as he put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and turned to lie on his back, bringing Blaine down with him so he would rest against his chest. “It’s not like you forced me to live with you, right? I think it was me making that decision... and being absolutely eager about it, let me add. And would I still be at my parents’ if I hadn’t met you? Probably. Would that make me happier? Absolutely not. I do have a proper future, you know, one that makes me incredibly happy: I have you”

“Ok, but let me ask you something: when you were younger and you dreamed about your future, did you ever imagine yourself living in a place like this?” Blaine asked, slightly lifting his head from Sam’s chest to look at him.

“Like this?” Sam asked, not really understanding the question.

“So small, with no rooms, with so little furniture...”

“Blaine, for me this is a palace!” Sam answered, completely honest. “If only because my prince is in it”

Blaine could have started crying in that same moment at Sam’s words, especially because he knew he was being honest. But he had to make his point. He had to give Sam the chance to back out, even if that would break his heart.

“But you could have stayed at your parents without us breaking up, you didn’t have an obligation to lose that security so soon just because of me...”

“And see you go after living in the same house for months? Do you really think I could leave you on your own? Sweetheart, I don’t think I would be able to do that. And not because I don’t think you can take care of yourself or anything, but because I need to be with you. I love you”

“And I love you, more than I ever thought it would be possible, and I’m incredibly happy that you’re here with me, don’t get me wrong. It’s just... I still think it would have been easier for you if you hadn’t met me”

“Maybe easier, okay, but why is easier supposed to be better? I know if I hadn’t met you my life wouldn’t be complete. Besides, I would have never made it to College anyway, you know that. It was hard enough finishing school without any failed subjects”

“Yet you did” Blaine told him, feeling very proud of him.

“Only because of your help”

“I think all the effort you gave it had something to do with it too” Blaine fondly reminded him.

“The fact is I never intended to study further than that. So you didn’t change my plans so much about that, but you gave me a home instead, and someone to love and to come back to every day. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I swear to you I’ve never regretted one single second spent with you”

Blaine rested his chin on Sam’s chest and remained looking at him for a couple of seconds, mesmerized at all the goodness Sam represented, and that had changed his life so drastically for the better in only a little more than a year.

“I feel so happy... Everything seems too perfect to be true”

“Does it?”

“It sure does. Well, except for...” Blaine stopped himself, not wanting to ruin the tender moment they were having with sad thoughts, but Sam had already read his mind.

“Your brother?” Sam guessed.

“Yeah” Blaine answered with a smile, always amazed at how well Sam knew him. “I wish Cooper could be a part of my life too”

“Maybe he’ll be someday”

“Maybe”

“I’m sure he will” Sam assured him, as he tenderly bumped his nose. “One day he’ll realize what a wonderful little brother he left behind, and he’ll look for you”

“You think so?” Blaine asked, looking hopeful at the prospect of getting his brother back.

“Blaine, please. No one could know you and not want to see you again”

“I don’t think I deserved the fortune that was meeting you” Blaine confessed in a whisper, softly depositing a slow kiss on Sam’s chest that left him trembling with emotion.

“You have to stop thinking you don’t deserve it when something good happens to you” Sam pleaded for Blaine to understand, gently putting Blaine’s hair behind his ear. “You’re a wonderful person, you deserve everything and more. It’s all the wrong you’ve had in your life that you didn’t deserve”

“Still...” Blaine wanted to insist, but Sam was having none of it.

“Still nothing, that’s how it is. You are the one who should be studying at College, if circumstances had been different. You would do great, and I know you’d love to”

“Yeah, but I’ve learnt to accept what I can have and what I can’t” Blaine answered honestly, once again resting his head on Sam’s shoulder, breathing directly into his neck and sending shivers all along his body. “You’re right, I would have loved to study something, like psychology or maybe social work. I would love to be able to help other kids and children with a situation like mine was. But I know I can’t possibly pay for an apartment if I’m not working full-time, even if I did get an scholarship that paid for my studies, so I’m not bitter about it. If a year ago someone had told me how incredibly happy I would be right now, arranging our own home with the most wonderful man in the world, I would have never believed it. And hey, maybe I will be able to study something in the future, who knows. It’s not a now-or-never kind of thing, is it?”

“Of course not!” Sam answered with a happy smile. It was nice to hear Blaine making plans for the future, wanting to fight for what would make him happy, and not thinking about what he did or didn’t deserve. “And I will be there to support you every step of the way”

“I know you will. You’ve always have”

“Must be because I love you” Sam answered before he cupped Blaine’s cheeks to bring his face closer to his and kiss him swiftly. However, Blaine didn’t let him move away from his lips after that, and put his arm around Sam’s shoulders to make him follow as he now lied on his back, lovingly pulling at his boyfriend until the upper half of Sam’s body was resting completely on top of Blaine’s, their lips tangled up in a long kiss that seemed to have no end.

That is, until Sebastian arrived. As Sam had entered the place with Blaine in his arms, and they had been laying on the bed ever since, they hadn’t bothered to close the door, and it was widely open, so Sebastian took that as an invitation to enter. What he hadn’t expected, though, was the show being performed in front of him: both his friends lost on their embrace, kissing like there was no tomorrow, probably ready to bring their interaction further to... No, he didn’t even want to think of that, he thought as he shrugged in disgust. At least they still had their clothes on. He decided to put an end to it before it was too late, so very dramatically he made his entrance, careful to make as much noise as possible so they would notice his presence.

“Oh, my God!” Sebastian yelled ridiculously, as he playfully hid behind the door again. “Rip off my eyes, please!”

Blaine and Sam immediately separated in their need to roar with laughter at Sebastian’s silliness.

“Can’t you two keep your hands and what are not your hands away from each other for a second?” Sebastian joked, tentatively pocking his head round the door.

“Relax, nothing’s happening” Blaine answered, already sitting up in spite of Sam’s reluctance to let go of his waist.

“How about the fact of finding you... like that?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, we are fully dressed. We were just laying here” Sam explained, sitting up himself, but not letting go of Blaine yet.

“Yeah, I could see you looked pretty comfortable” Sebastian sarcastically added.

“Come on, Seb, we knew you were coming, remember? It’s not like we don’t have any control over ourselves” Blaine insisted, slapping Sam’s hands from his waist so he could free himself and stand up to properly greet their guest.

“Well, don’t speak for me...” Sam joked as he stood up next to his boyfriend, and Blaine playfully nudged him on his ribs.

“Don’t give him more ammunition!” Blaine protested, mockingly serious.

“I don’t need more ammunition, I’ve had the questionable pleasure of being the witness to all this... loving intercourse for over a year now, haven’t I? So let’s change subjects, shall we?”

“Good idea” Blaine agreed, discreetly pulling at his t-shirt to make the creases caused by their loving interaction disappear and putting his hair back in order, while seeing out of the corner of his eye how Sam stupidly grinned at him and his discomfort.

“So... this is your place” Sebastian announced, finally allowing himself to really enter the place and have a look around.

“Yes, it is. Welcome to it” Blaine answered with his usual gentle smile.

“So it doesn’t have any rooms?” Sebastian asked, as he noticed how a mattress, a sofa and a table was all in the same room.

“It’s a loft” Blaine explained proudly, as Sam put an arm around his waist to stand next to him and share his pride.

“Yeah, we prefer to call it ‘loft’ than ‘hovel’” Sam joked, his smile only widening at Blaine’s mockingly outraged expression at his words.

Sebastian admitted to himself than in other circumstances he would have called it ‘hovel’: it was incredibly small, the furniture didn’t really go one piece with another –for God’s sake, they didn’t even have a bed, it was only a mattress with a wooden plank underneath– and the walls surely needed a good painting. But it didn’t look like a hovel at all with them in it, with their warmth and their obvious excitement filling every corner, with the happiness he could see in both their eyes. It was a home.

“So is it that horrible that you were left speechless?” Blaine teasingly asked, but Sebastian noticed a bit of disappointment in his voice –and Sam did too, judging by how he squeezed him tight against him.

“No, it’s... it’s great, boys. Really good” Sebastian answered, honestly. He would have liked that place for himself? Certainly not. But he could see how happy it made them, and suddenly it looked perfect. “I’m so happy for you”

“Thanks, Seb, you’re a good friend” Sam replied.

“That’s why we wanted for you to be the first one to see it after Sam’s family” Blaine told him with a self-conscious shrug of shoulders.

“Thanks, guys, I’m so honored” Sebastian said, deeply moved.

“But it’s not a free visit. I mean, we have to paint the walls, and since you’re here...” Sam joked, making Blaine chuckle and Sebastian groan.

“I should have known when I saw the sheet-covered furniture!” Sebastian teasingly whined.

“So you’re not going to say ‘no’ to your best friends, are you?” Sam pouted.

“Who invited you before anybody else to show you how special you are to us” Blaine added, also pouting.

“Sometimes I hate you, you know?” Sebastian joked, already taking his jacket off so he could get started with the painting.

“Yeah, but you love us the rest of the time, so...” Sam answered, reluctantly letting go of Blaine and getting ready all the equipment they would need.

“That sounds like a band job, though” Sebastian suddenly thought, getting his phone out of his pocket. “Let me get my crew”

“Erm... we already asked the boys to come too” Blaine confessed.

“What? I thought I was supposed to be special” Sebastian protested, mockingly outraged.

“You are! That’s why we told you to come ten minutes sooner than them!” Blaine explained, amusedly.

“Ten minutes! What if I’d been late?”

“They are always later than you are, we had it covered” Sam intervened, trying to defend his boyfriend.

“I’m hurt, boys” Sebastian announced, and the three of them burst out laughing at the absurdity of the conversation.

“Would you have preferred to have to paint all this without their help?” Blaine asked.

“Okay, if you put it like that...” Sebastian said, as a knock on the still-open door caught their attention.

“Knock knock!” Puck announced their arrival, showing his head behind the door. “May we come in?”

“Of course, boys, come in!” Blaine greeted them, happily, as he hurried over to embrace Puck, then Mike.

“Oh, here you are! How punctual!” Sebastian exclaimed, looking pointedly at Sam and Blaine, making them laugh wholeheartedly.

“Did we miss something?” Mike asked.

“No, just Sebastian being... Sebastian” Sam replied.

“So” Puck interrupted as he looked around with a lot of curiosity. “Are you going to give us a guided tour around the place?”

“Of course!” Blaine answered, in the mood for some silliness. “That’s the kitchen-living room-bedroom. That’s it. Did you like it?”

“You bet I do!” Puck exclaimed happily, throwing himself at the mattress. “I mean, what’s there not to like? You can eat in bed while you watch TV without even moving from the room! And so little space to clean! This is great, boys!”

“Wow, thanks, Puck!” Blaine thanked him genuinely, so happy to see someone loving the place unconditionally without trying to hide the faults they obviously found.

“I want one of these for myself” Puck pointed out.

“Then you should try getting a job” Mike suggested pointedly, sitting more slowly on the bed next to his friend.

“You know I’m still trying to find my calling in life, Mike” Puck argued nonchalantly, as it was a conversation they seemed to have every now and then.

“And can’t you try and find it while you work on something? It’s been five months since we finished school, Puck. Five months! I know you didn’t want to study anything, like Sebastian and me do, but at least try finding a job...”

“I will, once I’ve figured what I want to work in”

“You call it that. I call it _lazing_ _around_ ”

“It will always come to points of view”

“But wouldn’t you like to feel useful? To have money?”

“I don’t worry about the money”

“That’s because your parents give it to you”

“You might have a point. So I don’t really need to work for the money then, right?”

“I give up!” Mike exclaimed, lifting his hands up in surrender as the three spectators to their conversation started laughing. “He’s impossible”

“Come on, Mikey, don’t get angry at me!” Puck pouted at him, sitting up to embrace him clumsily.

“Get off me” Mike protested with a grin, slapping Puck’s hands away from him.

“Well, boys, sorry to interrupt such a transcendental conversation” Sebastian caught their attention. “But those two only got us here so we would help them paint the place”

“We’ll be happy to help” Mike offered with a smile, his natural kindness kicking in as he stood up to start.

“Ok, Mike, there’s no need to do it so willingly. At least let’s pretend we don’t want to do it so they’ll feel they owe us!” Sebastian joked, making the other laugh.

“Guys, we will always be in your debt anyway for all you’ve done for us” Blaine told them sincerely, and Sam put his arm around his shoulders to show them they both shared that thought.

“Really? Well, before we start being your slaves, let’s add something else to that debt so you’ll never stop feeling guilty” Puck teased them as he put a plastic bag he had been carrying on Sam’s hand.

“What’s this?” Sam asked, as Blaine and him looked at each other in confusion.

“Well, we thought a gift would be appropriate on such a special occasion” Mike explained.

“Boys, you didn’t really...” Blaine started, even though Puck didn’t let him finish.

“Yeah, yeah, we didn’t have to do it, we know, we are just that great” Puck interrupted, and this time he was fast enough to duck down before Mike could cuff him around the head once again. “Just open it”

“A DVD player!” Sam exclaimed happily, as he saw what it was. “Thank you, guys!”

“But this is too much!” Blaine protested.

“Well, it’s not a completely selfless gift, to be honest” Puck explained. “We needed a place to hide every now and then to watch a film with our friends, and a parent-free zone sounds like the ideal place to do it”

“Okay, you’re always invited for a movie marathon” Blaine offered with a grateful smile.

“I hope you don’t have to regret your words now he has so much free time...” Mike murmured to Blaine’s ear, making him chuckle.

“And... there’s  something else” Sebastian added, turning to Blaine “I hope Sam won’t get jealous of the fact this present is only for you but… if he does, I don’t really care”

“Well, thank you” Sam answered with a laugh, as he watched his best friend leave a catalog from a music place in Blaine’s hands and point at something that had been circled with a red felt tip pen.

“Ta da!” Sebastian joked and had to stifle a laugh at Blaine’s confused expression. “Do you like your new keyboard? They’re having it delivered tomorrow around this hour, so be sure there will be someone here to open the door for them”

“What?” Blaine asked, totally dumbfounded at what Sebastian was implying. “Are you really saying that… you got me a keyboard?”

“Well, you love music so much and you’re so good at it that it wasn’t fair you didn’t have anything to practice with…” Sebastian explained kindly, clearly seeing how moved Blaine was by the present so he decided to light the atmosphere a little. “It’s really in my best interest, because you need to be able to practice if we want the band to work, you know”

Not being able to find his voice, Blaine did the only thing he felt he could do at the moment: he decidedly broke the small distance separating him from Sebastian and embraced him with all his forces.

“Thank you. Thank you” Blaine whispered in Sebastian’s ear, and the latter smiled fondly as he also embraced him more strongly.

“No, don’t thank me… I never told you this, but… I’ve never forgiven myself for how I treated you at the beginning” Sebastian honestly explained, all jokes aside for once.

“Seb, please…” Blaine interrupted him, breaking the embrace to look at him as severely as he was able, hoping to make him stop.

“No, Blaine, let me finish, please. I told you some horrible things that day, things you didn’t deserve at all, and that’s kind of my way of apologizing for that”

“Seb, that was a long time ago and you already apologized for it. I’ve never given a second thought about putting all that behind us. I decided to trust you and you’ve proven me right every day ever since”

“Yes, but… I’ve always wondered if you thought…”

“What?” Blaine urged him to let it all out.

“That day I told you I was not interested in being your friend. And since then I’ve often wondered if you ever believe that I put up with you only because you’re my best friend’s partner. Because it’s not true, you know that, don’t you? You’re really my friend, a great one, and you would be even without Sam”

“I know that, Seb” Blaine assured him with a caring smile. “I’ve never had any doubts about it. You’re the best friend someone could have”

“Thank you, Blaine” Sebastian answered, now he being the one close to tears, and he embraced Blaine strongly to him once again, glad to have had that conversation he had always felt they had pending.

“Em… boys” Puck interrupted jokingly, never the one to be comfortable in emotional situations. “Sam is standing just right there, you know”

“Shut up, Puck” Sam answered with a wide smile, as the embrace between his boyfriend and his best friend finally broke and Blaine came back to him and fell into his arms, widely smiling. “It was a beautiful moment” he added, squeezing Blaine strongly to his chest and kissing his temple.

“Well, shall we start with all the working?” Sebastian asked, trying to sound cool but sniffing suspiciously, to which Blaine discreetly smiled and winked at him.

The five of them took the necessary tools and started painting with a great deal of excitement. They were no experts, at all, but they were so eager to make the place even cozier than it already was that they were doing a great job.

After a while, Blaine stopped for a second just to look at the four people in front of him. He chuckled as he noticed how Puck had managed to smear Mike’s nose and cheek with paint, and Mike had taken revenge by spilling some paint in Puck’s hair –that would be harder to take off!–, but now they were amicably singing a silly song together, as if nothing had happened; Sam and Sebastian, meanwhile, were talking and sharing some jokes as they painted. Blaine couldn’t help but smile while looking at the four friends, working in the most important project of his life: his home. No, his home and Sam’s. The first thing in his life that was really his and which nobody would ever be able to take away from him.

Sam seemed to sense –as he always did– Blaine’s rush of emotions, as he turned around to see him just standing there, looking at them, with an unreadable expression on his face.

“You okay?” he asked, as he left his place and put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders once again.

“I’m great” Blaine answered honestly, putting his own arm around Sam’s waist, getting them impossibly close together in their half-embrace.

“Careful, or I’ll stain you” Sam gently warned him, holding the paint roller in his hand away from his boyfriend.

“I don’t care” Blaine answered, properly pulling Sam to him to capture his lips in a slow kiss that lingered, until Sam couldn’t resist it anymore and put both his arms around his boyfriend, inevitably staining his t-shirt and neck.

“See? I told you I’d stain you” Sam apologized guiltily, his thumb tracing patterns on the skin on Blaine’s neck to try and take the paint off, making Blaine sigh at the kindness of the gesture.

“I love you” Blaine whispered to him, immediately eliciting a big smile on his boyfriend.

“I love you too” Sam answered, just as lovingly, as once again he covered Blaine’s lips with his own.

“Okay, lovebirds” Puck interrupted good-naturally. “If you tricked us to come over here and paint the place for you, the least you can do is give us a hand with it, don’t you think?”

Both Blaine and Sam chuckled at that and, with a last quick kiss, they separated and came back to the wall to continue painting, sending each other furtive gazes and flying kisses every now and then, unable to stop reminding each other about their love and their happiness about their shared dream to be together that it had already come true.

They didn’t have to wait any longer: the future was finally there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! I really hope you enjoyed it! :)


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